Ties of Blood and Loyalty
by Emily92
Summary: AU. Bartholomew Bagshot has vowed to fulfill his cousin Gellert Grindelwald’s last wish, something that could tear the Dumbledore family - Albus, Minerva, Alice, Jacob, and Katherine - apart. Will the family survive? Full summary is inside.
1. Chapter One

**Full Summary: **Meet the Dumbledore family: Albus, Minerva, Alice, Jacob, and Katherine. The five of them are a close knit and happy group of people. Meanwhile, Bartholomew Bagshot has vowed to fulfill his cousin Gellert Grindelwald's dying wish, something that will surely affect the Dumbledores. Aberforth and Albus try to deal with Ariana's death, and Alice eventually must choose between a fellow prefect and the rest of her friends and family. Will the these things tear the Dumbledore family apart?

**Author's Notes: **This story has been in the works for awhile. I really wanted to write something about Albus and Minerva's family. I don't think that this particular chapter has any major spoilers, but to be safe I'm going to say that the story will have general spoilers for the whole Harry Potter series. I hope you like what you read.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any characters that you recognize. I do, however, own the Dumbledore children and the many other original characters that will appear in later chapters.

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Ties of Blood and Loyalty - Chapter One

It was a pleasant summer afternoon, exactly one day before the start of term. Jacob Dumbledore sat on the old swing set that stood behind his family's house, deep in thought. The swing set had been there for as long as Jacob could recall. His father Albus often recounted the story of how the swing set had come to be where it currently was. Albus had brought it home one day when Jacob's older sister Alice had been very young. Their mother Minerva had scolded Albus for bringing "that ridiculous muggle contraption" home. Alice, however, had loved the swing set, thus securing its place in the Dumbledore backyard.

That had been nearly fourteen years ago. Alice and Jacob grew and started primary school. Meanwhile, their younger sister Katherine had been born. The years passed, and eventually it was time for Alice to begin her magical education at Hogwarts; Jacob followed the year after. Now, four years later, it was Katherine's turn. The rusty swing set creaked as Jacob slowly began to swing under the summer sunshine. He wondered where the time had gone; it seemed as if their father had just been pushing a six year old Katherine on the swing set that he now occupied. It was even stranger to think that Alice would be of age in just two short years. To Jacob, it felt like it was just yesterday that he and Alice had been in primary school.

Time, Jacob concluded, was odd. It seemed to slowly creep along while he was in the present, but when he looked back and reflected on years past, he realized that it had flown by. Yes, time was very odd indeed.

* * *

While Jacob was lost in his thoughts, Albus sat down at the kitchen table and cheerfully popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

Minerva gave him a look, "Keep doing that and you'll spoil your dinner."

"I have no intentions of doing such a thing," Albus replied, "Especially tonight, when you're making pumpkin soup. Your version is the best that I've ever tasted!"

"You flatter me," Minerva said wryly.

"It's true, my love," Albus told her, "What time did Aberforth say that he would arrive at?"

"Seven," Minerva replied as she busily stirred the soup. She paused and frowned, "He's bringing Amy."

"Oh," Albus looked thoughtful, "Well, he does love her very much."

"It's hardly appropriate," Minerva said, "And she eats like a pig."

Albus chuckled.

"Albus!" Minerva exclaimed, "It isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry, dear," Albus said, still laughing.

Minerva glared at him.

"You know," Albus said a few moments later, changing the subject, "If I'm lucky, I'll be able to persuade Alice to make brownies tonight."

"What was that, Dad?" A tall girl with long auburn hair and beautiful green eyes framed by glasses walked into the kitchen.

"Could you be persuaded to fix brownies for after dinner tonight, Alice?" Albus asked with a smile and twinkling eyes.

"Sure," Alice said good naturedly.

"What have you been up to today?" Albus asked his older daughter as she sat down at the table with him.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Alice replied, "Reading."

"What were you reading?" Minerva asked as she joined them.

"I finished _Othello_ and started _Pride and Prejudice_," Alice replied.

"How did you like Othello?" Albus inquired.

"It was alright," Alice wrinkled her nose, "Although Iago was a vile toe rag."

"Yes," Albus agreed, "He was quite malicious."

* * *

"Mum?" Alice asked after she and her father had completed their discussion of _Othello_. Albus had gone into the library, and was now enjoying a different book.

"Yes, love?"

"What time do we have to leave for Hogwarts tomorrow?"

"Early," Minerva replied, "Do you and your brother and sister have all of your things together?"

"Jacob and I do; I think Katherine is packing right now."

"Could you check with her and make sure that she had everything that she needs for the school year?" Minerva asked Alice as she stood up, "I need to check on the soup."

* * *

Alice climbed the stairs, headed towards Katherine's bedroom. Her family's house was over one hundred years old. On the first floor, there was the living room, kitchen, library, dining room, and her parents' bedroom. Alice and her siblings had the second floor to themselves. The house was so old that creaking noises were often heard in the middle of the night, and the stairs creaked as someone was walking on them. When they had been younger, she and Jacob had believed that a ghost had occupied their house. However, Alice had done much research on the subject, and had discovered that (much to her disappointment) there was no evidence that her family had a paranormal roommate. Still, Alice loved her home.

She knocked on her sister's door, "Katherine?"

There was no answer.

"Katherine?" Alice called, louder than before.

"I'm up here!" A voice came from the attic.

Alice climbed the stairs to the attic to find her sister amidst the dust and forgotten things that were scattered about the room.

"Hi Alice," Katherine greeted her sister sweetly.

"Hi," Alice responded, "What're you doing? Mum wants to know if you're all packed for tomorrow."

"Well," Katherine replied cautiously, "I think I am."

"Wand?" Alice asked.

"Check," Katherine said. The family had gone to Diagon Alley the week before and picked up school supplies, including Katherine's wand. It was ten inches and made of holly, with a core of unicorn hair.

"Robes?"

"Check."

"School books?"

"Check."

"All of them?"

"_The Standard Book of Spells_, _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_, _The Dark Forces:_ _A Guide to Self-Protection_, and _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_," Katherine replied.

"Are you sure that's all?" Alice asked, her eyebrows frowning in thought, "I think you're missing one book. The trouble is, I can't remember the title of it."

"Oh," Katherine said, "Well, I have the books for Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology. What subject is missing?"

"_A History of Magic_, by Bathilda Bagshot!" Alice exclaimed, remembering the title of the book, "Dad must have a copy lying around somewhere. Well, you're all set."

Katherine smiled.

"What're those?" Alice asked, pointing to a series of large books covered in dust that Katherine had been looking through.

"Photo albums," Katherine replied, "There are all sorts of pictures. Mum, Dad, Jacob, you, me, Uncle Aberforth…"

Alice sat down next to Katherine and opened one of the photo albums. It flipped open to a picture of younger looking versions of their parents.

"Mum and Dad," Alice said, "Gosh, they look young."

"And happy," Katherine added. In the picture, Albus and Minerva waved at their daughters.

"Mum's dress is nice," Alice commented on their mother's burgundy colored outfit before flipping to another photo.

"Oh look, it's their wedding photo," Katherine said as she saw the new picture. Their parents were standing on the front steps of a church, smiling at each other. Anyone who looked at the picture could tell that the two were deeply in love. They had been married on May twenty-second, nineteen-forty-eight. Two years later, Alice had been born.

A third person entered the attic. The girls looked up from the photo album to see their brother Jacob.

"Hi, Jacob," Katherine greeted him.

"Hi," Jacob replied. He glanced at Alice, "What are you looking at?"

"Pictures," Alice said.

"Mum wants you two to come downstairs, since Uncle Aberforth will be here soon," A smile suddenly appeared on Jacob's features, "He's bringing Amy."

Katherine giggled; Alice grinned. The three Dumbledore children trooped down the stairs and into the living room.

* * *

When Albus, who was still in the library, heard noises in his front yard, he went outside to welcome his brother.

"Hello Aberforth," Albus greeted him.

Aberforth nodded in response and walked towards Albus. Beside him, Amy paused and munched on some grass. She had snowy white hair and horns. Aberforth patted her on the head affectionately.

He sure did love Amy the goat.

"How has Amy been?" Albus asked politely.

"Good," Aberforth replied. He paused awkwardly, "Eh, listen, Albus, I've got something I want to talk to you about."

"Alright," Albus said, "Would you like to come in?"

"Not just yet," Aberforth told Albus, "Can we talk in the backyard?"

"Certainly," Albus said and led him behind the house.

"So, I'll get right to the point," Aberforth said once they were in the backyard. Amy was there, too, happily munching a plant in the garden (something that Minerva later would be furious about), "I've been thinking about Ariana a lot lately."

Albus flinched as he heard his sister's name. Aberforth, however, did not notice; or, if he did, he chose not to mention it.

"We never really dealt with her death, you and I. What I mean to say is that we moved on and put it behind us too quickly. It was so horrible; we badly wanted to forget about it. After the funeral we shot back into normal life and didn't do a lot of things that we should've done. We got involved in other things and focused on those instead. I had my goats and you had your teaching. Am I right?"

Albus nodded, his eyes closed.

"And so I'm trying to properly deal with it now. That means I've got to do some things that involve you. So, first of all, I'm sorry I was so horrible to you. You know, after. At the funeral. I laid all the blame on you, and it wasn't completely your fault. And I'm sorry for that."

Albus nodded again, unsure of what to day. He received all the credit for being the intelligent one of the Dumbledore brothers, but Aberforth was no idiot. It wasn't very obvious, but he could often be much more perceptive than Albus, especially at times like these. Albus was an intellectual, and Aberforth was somewhat a philosopher.

"I'm unsure of exactly what else I need to do, but I'm pretty sure that was the first step," Aberforth concluded unceremoniously, "So when do we eat?"

* * *

The two brothers entered the house to find Minerva and the children in the living room.

"Whatever you say…prefect," Jacob was teasing Alice. The two seemed as if they were in the middle of a conversation.

"Philosopher," Alice playfully shot back at Jacob.

"Genius," Jacob grinned.

"Cannon's fan."

"Hi Uncle Aberforth!" Katherine exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Kathie!" Aberforth exclaimed upon seeing his favorite niece. The two had always been close. With her blonde hair, blue eyes, and pleasant temperament, Katherine had always reminded Aberforth of his sister.

"Are you alright?" Minerva asked Albus softly, going to stand next to him. She was concerned; such a forlorn look on her husband's typically smiling face was foreign to her.

"I'll live," Albus told her, "Let's eat; I'm famished."

* * *

"Could you pass the brownies, Jacob?" Albus asked his son, who did as his father asked.

"Uncle Aberforth," Katherine said, "Did you know that Alice is a prefect now?"

Alice blushed. Couldn't her family find something else to talk about? She understood that her recent award was indeed somewhat of a big deal, but all of the extra attention was beginning to irk her. Besides, it wasn't as if she was the only Dumbledore sibling who had accomplished something recently. Couldn't they talk about Jacob and how he had been elected co editor of_ The Quill_, Hogwarts' literary magazine? Or the fact that Katherine would be starting at Hogwarts in less than twenty four hours?

"Somehow I'm not surprised. Congratulations," Aberforth nodded in Alice's direction.

"Thanks," Alice mumbled.

"Somehow that doesn't seem entirely fair, though," Aberforth continued, "Minerva, don't you think that it's a bit biased, with your husband being the one that elects the prefects?"

"You aren't the only one with that concern, Aberforth," Albus spoke up, "I asked Horace Slughorn to choose prefects this year."

Aberforth nodded.

"I wonder what house I'll be in," Katherine thought out loud.

"I'd bet money that you'll be in Gryffindor," Aberforth said, "Just like the rest of us."

"Though we wouldn't disinherit you if you're not," Jacob said playfully.

"I almost expected Alice to be in Ravenclaw," Albus said, smiling, "She inherited her mother's mind."

Minerva smiled, "You'll find out tomorrow. Alright, you three, it's getting late and we have an busy day ahead of us -"

"_Mum_," Alice protested.

"Not yet," Katherine said.

"We were hoping you'd let us stay up until the early hours of the morning and admire the beauty of the night sky," Jacob added.

"_Bed_," Minerva said in a tone that one does not argue with. She was beginning to sound like Professor McGonagall again. It was rather fitting, considering that school would start tomorrow.

* * *

Thoughts? Questions? Criticisms? Suggestions? Please let my know by leaving a review! They (reviews) are awesome like Panic At the Disco's New album, which I am in love with. I will post the next chapter ASAP, which will probably be pretty soon, since I have no school right now because of Spring Break. Plus, this story is really fun to write. Sorry; I'm rambling. But anyway...review! Make a writer happy!


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters that you recognize from Harry Potter. Sigh.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Albus!" Sixteen year old Aberforth had started angrily, "You can't do this…_tour_ thing."

"Silly boy," Gellert had mocked, his accent very prominent, "What do you know about the tour? How would you know if your brother could not do it? You are with the goats all day!"

"_Albus_," Aberforth had continued, ignoring Gellert, "Who's going to take care of Ari once I start school? You'll be too busy with _him"_

Aberforth had glared furiously at Gellert.

"to notice her."

Albus had remained silent.

"Fool!" Gellert had exclaimed, "Don't you know that once your brother and I have power, your sister will not have to be hidden? You see nothing!"

"All I see," Aberforth had responded through clenched teeth, "Is _you _taking up all his time. You're all he really cares about, you know. Of course, you're too busy accusing me of being blind to see that he love-"

"Aberforth, that's ridiculous." Albus had interrupted, finally speaking up, "I care very much about Ariana."

Aberforth rolled his eyes, "You're too busy staring at that _barbarian _Gellert's hair to know when she needs you!"

"I am no barbarian!" Gellert had yelled, offended. He had had enough of Aberforth; he was starting to get in the way of everything. He pointed his wand at him. "Sectumsempra!"

"Oppugno!" Albus had shouted, protecting his brother. He had not been able to believe that Gellert would use such a harmful spell on Aberforth.

The fight had escalated. All of a sudden, the three of them had been shouting curses at each other.

"Stupefy!"

"Confringo!"

"Stupefy!"

"Crucio!"

"Duro!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Stop it!" Ariana had yelled, "Please, stop fighting!"

And then the curse had hit her, and she had died. Ariana Dumbledore had died at that moment, and it was due to one of them.

* * *

"All these years later, Albus," Gellert had taunted him in the middle of their last duel. By this time, Gellert had completely lost his charming and boyish mannerisms. He was simply cold. Pure evil. To Albus, it seemed as if they had been fighting for hours. "You're finally up to facing me again. Took you quite awhile, didn't it?"

"Crucio!" Albus had yelled, ignoring Gellert's heartless taunts.

"Avada Kedavra!" Gellert had swore. Albus had dodged the curse.

"Sectumsempra!" He had shouted.

"Crucio!"

"Avis!" Albus had pointed his wand directly in Gellert's face, "Oppugno!"

A large flock of crows had flown directly at Gellert and had began to peck savagely at his face.

"Damn it!" Gellert had writhed in pain, "Avada Kedavra!"

However, his aim had been totally off, due to the fact that he could hardly see anymore.

"Crucio!" Albus had yelled, "Crucio!"

"Sectumsempra!" Gellert's aim had still been off, "You may have killed your sister, Albus Dumbledore, but you will not kill me. Avada Kedavra!"

"Confringo!" Albus had yelled, "Oppugno! Crucio!"

And it had been over; Gellert had collapsed, unconscious.

* * *

Albus shot up in bed, breathing heavily. They had been such vivid dreams; Albus felt like he had been reliving the two most horrible battles of his life. He couldn't think straight. Ariana had died, and it had been quite possible his fault. Ariana…

He got out of bed to open a window; he needed air.

He stared into the night sky, lost in his memories. There had been such a change in Gellert from when the two of them had been fiends compared to their last battle. Gellert had no longer been the handsome teenager with the adorable blonde curls when they had fought for the last time; he had been this heartless, wicked man.

Minerva stirred in bed. Albus, so deep in his thoughts, did not notice.

"Albus?" She said sleepily. She walked to where he was standing by the window and touched his shoulder.

"Did I wake you?" He asked absentmindedly. He looked deeply troubled.

Minerva took his hand in hers, "What's bothering you? I know something is wrong."

Albus sighed, "I don't want to burden you with my troubles, love."

Minerva looked at him knowingly. She knew that something was wrong and that something was really bothering him; she could read him like an open spell book.

Albus took a deep breath, "Do you ever wish that you could go into your past and change the times when you acted horribly?"

"Often," Minerva told him, wise as ever, "But Albus, that is why the Ministry regulates the use of time turners so strictly. What we've done in the past is forever behind us. We can't change it, which is why we try to be the best that we can be in the present."

Albus took her hand and kissed it, "I'm incredibly lucky to be married to you. That's one of the things in my past that I'm proud of. I have absolutely no regrets about proposing to you, Minerva McGonagall."

Minerva smiled, "You know I feel the same way. Now let's go back to bed. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, headmaster."

* * *

Bartholomew Bagshot was working late into the night. The curse was nearly ready; he would finally be able to avenge Gellert. Just the thought made him giddy; he had waited so long to do as Gellert had asked. Bartholomew had idolized Gellert. He had admired him ever since he met him on the day that he came to live with him and his grandmother Bathilda. Bartholomew's giddiness grew as memories of Gellert floated into his mind.

"_Hello," A younger, albeit still chubby and pasty faced Bartholomew had said shyly as his cousin had entered the house. He had blonde curls and was carrying a rather large suitcase._

"_Hello there," Gellert had said in reply, "You must be Bartholomew - Aunt Bathilda's grandson. I'm Gellert. Gellert Gindelwald. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."_

"_You're from Germany, right?" Bartholomew had asked._

"_That's right," Gellert had told him, "It is wonderful there."_

"_Is it true that you got expelled?"_

_Gellert had sighed, "Yes, I did something that I should not have."_

"_What happened?" Bartholomew had been eager to know._

"_I was experimenting with dark magic. Very dark magic, in fact," Gellert had said, "But don't get any ideas, cousin. You don't want get expelled from your school, I'm sure."_

"_I'm gonna be a fourth year at Hogwarts," Bartholomew had told Gellert, "I -"_

"_Now Bartholomew, don't start pestering Gellert before he's been here five minutes," Bathilda had said, entering the room. She turned to Gellert, "Hello, dear. Welcome."_

"_Thank you, Aunt," Gellert had given her his best smile. He had been charming._

"_I hope Barty here hasn't been bothering you," Bathilda had said, "He does tend to ramble on about things."_

"_No, on the contrary," Gellert had reassured her, "He's quite a nice person. He was just telling me all about Hogwarts."_

* * *

"_So do you like it here so far, Gellert?" Bartholomew had asked._

"_It is very nice," Gellert had replied, "Your grandmother has many interesting books."_

"_She's a historian. She wrote _A History of Magic

"_I love history," Gellert had told Bartholomew, "I like to learn about what has happened before us. And the people - they are so interesting. Take Henry VIII, for example. Did you know that he was married six times?"_

"_No," Bartholomew had replied, absorbing Gellert's every word, "I don't know that much about history. It would be neat to learn, though."_

"_I will teach you, then," Gellert has said, smiling at his younger cousin, "We can discuss the people, the places, the events - it will be excellent."_

* * *

"_What do you want to do today, Gellert?" Bartholomew had asked, hoping that they could do something together._

"_I am going to go over to the Dumbledore's house," Gellert had smiled, "I believe that I have made a new friend. His name is Albus."_

"_The Dumbledores are weird," Bartholomew had said, "Well, the little girl is, anyway. Everybody knows that she's a squib."_

_Gellert, however, had not heard Bartholomew's comment about the Dumbledore family, because he had been walking over to their house, leaving Bartholomew alone and betrayed._

* * *

Bartholomew didn't like Albus Dumbledore because he had taken Gellert away and they had spent all their time together. Gellert no longer had time to spend with his cousin and teach him about history, as he had promised, because he had always been to busy with Albus. So, when Gellert, right before he had been imprisoned, had asked Bartholomew to do something that would surely impact Albus Dumbledore in a negative fashion, Bartholomew could only oblige.

"_Gellert!" Bartholomew had cried upon seeing his beloved cousin beaten and battered, "Gellert, what happened?"_

"_What happened is not important, cousin," Gellert had said weakly, "Bartholomew, could you do me a favor? I would be forever in your debt."_

"_Anything," Bartholomew had replied. Even after Gellert had become a powerful dark wizard, Bartholomew still idolized him. Bartholomew wanted to be bad, just as Gellert had been. He could be the next Gellert Grindelwald. He would continue his cousin's work._

"_I am going to be captured soon," Gellert had told Bartholomew, "I cannot do anything about it. But there is one thing…"_

"_I'll do it, Gellert. Just tell me what it is."_

"_Curse Albus Dumbledore's first born child."_

* * *

The alarm clock rang, early and annoying as ever. Alice Dumbledore rolled out of bed, got dressed, and went down into the dining room.

"Morning," Jacob greeted her.

"Morning," Alice grabbed a muffin, "Is Katherine up yet?"

"I think she is," Jacob replied. He paused, "Hey Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"You know we only babble on about you being made a prefect because we're proud of you, right?" Jacob asked.

He had noticed her last night when Katherine had brought it up. Typical Jacob - he was so perceptive.

Alice sighed, "Yeah, I know."

"Are you nervous about it? Being a prefect, I mean."

"A little.." Alice's voice trailed off.

"Hello!" Albus cheerfully greeted his two older children as he entered the room.

"Hi Dad," Alice and Jacob said.

* * *

"Dad?" Katherine asked her father after breakfast, "Do you have a copy of _A History of Magic_ that I could use this year?"

"I believe I do have a copy in the library," Albus told Katherine with a smile. He paused, the smile vanishing from his face. Thoughts flooded his mind: _A History of Magic. Bathilda Bagshot. Gellert. Ariana. The fight. Oh Merlin, Ari. I'm sorry; I never meant for this to happen. I want to go back and fix it, to correct all of my mistakes, __if only -_

"Dad?" Katherine asked, "Dad? Are you alright?"

Albus replied, "I'm fine, Katherine. Just tired. Come on, we'll go find you that book."

* * *

"Alright," Minerva said as she and Albus dropped her children off in front of a little café near King's Cross. They did this every year; Albus and Minerva needed to be at Hogwarts earlier than the children did, so they were dropped them off early and they would wander about until it was time to catch the Hogwarts express, "Be careful. Stick together. Don't speak to strangers, and don't miss your train, it leaves at 11:00."

"We know, Mum," Alice reassured her.

"Katherine, listen to Alice and Jacob," Minerva instructed her youngest daughter, "All right, we'll see you later, and _be careful_."

Albus waved.

* * *

"Alice!" Molly Prewett called her best friend and motioned for her to join herself and Arthur Weasley in their compartment.

"How was your summer?" Arthur asked Alice.

"It was alright," Alice replied, "We went to see Mum's family in Scotland. Oh, and Jacob got nominated to be co editor of _The Quill_, so he was happy about that."

"Oh, Gideon's editor too this year," Molly said. Gideon was her older brother, a sixth year.

The three friends lapsed into pleasant conversation, and before they knew it, the train had arrived at Hogwarts.

* * *

After unpacking, Alice, Molly, and Arthur headed down to the Great Hall for the Start-of-Term feast and sat down at the Gryffindor table, taking spots next to Jacob and Molly's older brothers, Gideon and Fabian. Jacob and Gideon were conversing about _The Quill_.

"Did you hear?" Arthur asked Alice and Molly, "Og retired."

"Dad might've mentioned something about it," Alice said.

"I wonder who the new groundskeeper will be," pondered Molly.

Neither Arthur nor Alice was able to reply to Molly, however, because at that moment Minerva entered the Great Hall with the first years.

* * *

"When I call your name," Minerva addressed the line of nervous looking eleven year olds, "Please sit on the chair and put the hat on your head. You will then be sorted into your houses. Abbott, Mathew!"

A skinny boy with blonde hair scurried out of the line and placed the sorting hat on his head.

After a few moments, the hat declared, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bell, Zoey!"

A hazel eyed girl with short dark brown hair came forward and put the hat on.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Jacob, Alice, Arthur, and Molly cheered to welcome the newest Gryffindor.

* * *

As Minerva called the first years names, she reflected on sorting ceremonies past. She had seen quite a few, both as a student and a teacher. Different as the students of each year's sorting had been, most shared one common characteristic: they were nervous. Minerva recalled a sorting ceremony that had taken place five years ago.

"Boipelo, Aemilius!" Minerva had called. A short boy with brown hair and eyes confidently had marched up to the stool.

The hat had barely come in contact with the boy's head when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Dumbledore, Alice!"

Minerva had felt a wave of pride wash over her as she had watched her firstborn put the sorting hat on. At eleven, Alice had been tall for her age. Minerva had thought that she had been (and still was) the mirror image of Albus, although she had inherited those green eyes from her mother. Looks were not the only thing Albus and Alice shared; they were both incredibly intelligent. Minerva had known that her daughter would do great things.

Alice had placed the hat on her head. She had been sitting for a few moments before the hat had made its decision. Minerva would have still loved Alice no matter what house she had been sorted into, but she had hoped that she would be in Albus' and her old house. She had been delighted when the had had shouted,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

Jacob's sorting had taken place exactly one year after Alice's. The sorting hat had taken quite awhile to decide where to put him. Minerva had not been surprised. Her son had a complex mind, and qualities that would endear him to any of the four houses. Like Alice, he was smart, so he would have made a fair Ravenclaw. He would have done fine in Hufflepuff because he was perceptive and loyal to all of his friends. Jacob had possessed some qualities of a Slytherin: he was resourceful and pureblood. Jacob also had many qualities of a Gryffindor: he was brave and chivalrous. After much consideration, the hat had sorted Jacob into Gryffindor.

* * *

"Dumbledore, Katherine!" Minerva said.

Katherine nervously walked up to the hat and put it on. She desperately hoped that she would be in Gryffindor like the rest of the family.

"I want to be in Gryffindor," Katherine thought to herself.

"Ah," The hat said to her, "Another Dumbledore. You want to be Gryffindor, it would seem."

"You can hear me?" Katherine wondered.

"My dear, I can hear your every thought," The hat replied, "Now, the question is: where to put you? Hmm. I see bravery and a kind heart. You have both qualities of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor," Katherine thought, "Please, Gryffindor."

"If that's what you want," The hat said, "You'll be the newest member of GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered. Jacob waved at Katherine as she sat down next to him and Zoey Bell.

Shortly after, the sorting was finished. Albus made his annual start of term speech, and then it was time for the feast.

Arthur and Alice were taking about muggle music while Molly served herself some potatoes. Jacob and Gideon were finishing up their conversation about _The Quill_, and Katherine and Zoey had become fast friends. The three conversations were interrupted by a short brown haired boy with a look of authority on his face.

"Hello there," The boy said, looking at Katherine and Zoey, "My name is Aemilius Marmaduke Boipelo - call me Duke, if you like, that's easier - and I am a prefect."

"Err…hello," Zoey said.

"Duke, at least let them finish eating before you begin to lecture them about the rules of Hogwarts," Gideon reprimanded. He and Jacob shared an amused look. Duke Boipelo was one of the most annoying, albeit also responsible, boys at Hogwarts. He had obviously already let the power of being a prefect go to his head.

"Simply because some of us," Duke looked at Alice, "Are slacking on our duties does not mean we all should."

"I am not," Alice began, but then realized it would be a better idea to argue with Duke in private rather than in front of the first years, who were looking at Duke and Alice with wide eyes.

"Duke and I just want to welcome you to Gryffindor. We'll let you finish eating and then we'll show you to the Common Room," Alice saved, "Oh Zoey, I like your blouse."

"And then I'll tell you all about the rules of Hogwarts!" Duke added, sitting back down.

"It's going to be an interesting year," Molly whispered to Arthur, "With those two working together."

Arthur grinned, "Assuming that one of them doesn't hex the other to death before Halloween."

* * *

Duke Boipelo is one of my favorite original characters in this story. I had great fun choosing his name. "Aemilius" means rival. "Marmaduke", according to , has comical English upper class connotations, and "Boipelo" means proud in Tswana. Aemilius Marmaduke Boipelo - I think the name has a ring to it. Anyway, he's basically this really, really anoying kid, and stickler for rules. He has a secret and massive crush on Alice - oh noes, I've said to much. Review and find out more. DUN DUN DUN.


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Notes: **So sorry it took me forever to get this chapter up! Real life got insane. Things are pretty much back to normal now, thank goodness, so I'll try to update frequently again.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Arthur or Molly, but I do own Alice, Jacob, and Duke. Yay original characters!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Molly," Alice shook her sleeping friend awake, "Molls."

Molly groaned, "What?"

"You've got to get up, or you'll be late to our first class," Alice said cheerfully as she gathered the materials that she would need for the day.

Molly lazily rolled out of bed and started getting ready.

* * *

"What is our first class, anyway?" Molly asked Alice as the two scurried down the hallways of Hogwarts.

"Transfiguration with Ravenclaw," Alice replied.

"Oh, your Mum's class."

"Yeah," Alice said, "We'd better hurry, though; she'll skin us alive if we're late."

A few minutes later, the two girls reached their destination. They opened the classroom door and took seats next to Arthur, who had arrived earlier.

"The fifth year," Minerva began when the rest of the students had arrived, "Is easily one of the most difficult years at Hogwarts. In addition to OWLs, the subject matter in this class becomes much more detailed."

Arthur paled. This was not good news for him. He had struggled in Transfiguration in previous years. The idea that the subject would get significantly more difficult made him nervous.

"However," Minerva continued, "I know that each person in this classroom will be able to receive a passing grade in this class if they pay attention and complete all of the required assignments. If you do find yourself struggling, see me after class for additional help. So, let us begin today's lecture."

* * *

Half an hour later, the transfiguration students paired up to practice what they had learned about in class. Arthur worked with a Ravenclaw, and Alice and Molly had paired up.

Molly's face scrunched up in concentration as she pointed her wand at her and Alice's pillow and tried to turn it into a mouse. She succeeded a few moments later and was quite happy; she and Alice were the first ones finished.

"Isn't it cute?" Alice asked Molly, looking at the mouse that was formerly a pillow.

"I guess," Molly replied uncertainly, "I've never been a fan of the little critters, though."

The two glanced at Arthur, who was glaring angrily at his pillow as he failed to do the transformation. His face was the same color as his hair due to his frustration. Molly's glance lingered longer than Alice's did. She sighed, and turned back to Alice.

Alice looked at her knowingly.

"You should tell him, Molly," she said, referring to Molly's feelings for Arthur, which were more than platonic, "I bet this year will bring the two of you luck."

"But what if he doesn't feel the same way?" Molly worried, "I want to tell him, I do, Alice, but he's my best friend besides you, and I don't want to ruin our friendship. Besides -"

Molly abruptly stopped talking when she noticed Duke Boipelo standing right next to Alice.

"Yes?" Alice asked him exasperatedly, hoping he hadn't overheard too much.

"I wanted to remind you that we have patrolling duties tonight," Duke said, "And don't get so upset; it's not as if it's against magical law to stand here."

"You mean you haven't heard, Duke?" Alice asked, feigning surprise, "The Minister just passed a new decree saying that it is, in fact, illegal to be standing in the very spot that you are occupying as we speak."

Molly suppressed a grin.

"What?" Duke shot back, "That's ridiculous."

"Being the stickler for rules that you are," Alice continued as if he had not been interrupted, "And since your father is the Minister's chief advisor, I was shocked to see you there."

"You make no sense whatsoever, Dumbledore," Duke replied with a roll of his eyes, "I'll see you tonight. Eight o'clock, sharp."

* * *

Katherine walked quickly to History of Magic. Although Alice and Jacob had told her that Professor Binns was so involved in his lectures that he did not notice tardy students, the thought of being late to the first class of the year made Katherine quite nervous.

She was relieved, then, when she arrived a few minutes before the start of class. She slipped into a seat next to Zoey Bell, who smiled at her.

"You just made it in time," Zoey whispered.

"Yep," Katherine whispered back, mirroring Zoey's smile, "But I've heard that Professor Binns is so into teaching that he doesn't notice if you're late."

"Really?" Zoey asked, looking interested.

Katherine nodded, "The rumor is, that one day, a long time ago, he was so old that he woke up and just left his body behind."

Zoey's eyes widened, "He didn't even notice?"

Katherine shook her head.

"Wow," Zoey said, "I hope he's a good teacher, though. I like history, and I'm probably way behind in Wizard's history, since I'm muggle born."

"Don't worry," Katherine assured her, "All of us are pretty much at the same skill level in every subject. Wizards don't really start teaching their kids this stuff until they go to Hogwarts."

* * *

At twelve o'clock, every student hurried down to the Great Hall for lunch.

After the first morning back, they were all very hungry. Up at the high table, Albus tapped his spoon against his goblet, capturing everybody's attention.

"Just a few quick announcements before we eat," He said with a smile, "Have no fear, they will be short, I promise you, as I know everyone must be starving. Madam Hooch has asked me to tell you all that try outs for your house Quidditch teams will take place on Sunday. The editors of Hogwarts' much loved literary magazine, The Quill, will be holding a meeting tomorrow at six o'clock in Professor Burbage's classroom. All are welcome."

With that, everyone hungrily started filling their plates with food.

"Wonder who'll show up the meeting," Jacob pondered as he served himself a sandwich.

"Good question," Gideon replied with a mouthful of spaghetti, "Well, in all likelihood we'll see the folks from last year. Although, nearly everyone graduated. Who're we left with?"

Jacob thought for a moment, "Benjy, Musidora, and Greta."

"Right. Well, it's a nice balance of writing styles. We'll have lots of diversity, with Musidora's poems, Greta's stories, and Benjy's willingness to write anything," Gideon thought for a second, "and us."

Jacob grinned, "Yes, us."

Gideon glanced at his watch as the people around them headed off to class, "Bloody hell, it's later I than thought. I've got get to Charms. See you, Jake."

Jacob smiled to himself at the use of that nickname. He found it utterly annoying when Alice or anyone else used it, but that was not the case with Gideon; something about the way he said it made it quite partial to Jacob. He drifted out of his thoughts. Gideon's Charm's book sat before him on the table, left behind. Jacob chuckled to himself; Gideon would surely forget his head if it wasn't attached to him.

"Gideon!" Jacob called his friend's name and motioned form him to come back, "You left your book."

"Thanks, mate," Gideon replied gratefully and exited the Great Hall.

* * *

Bartholomew frowned. This curse and all of the necessary procedures that accompanied it never failed to give him a massive headache. However, he was doing this for Gellert, and this was the curse that Gellert had selected, so Bartholomew was determined to succeed. Besides, he wasn't about to throw away nearly fourteen years of work.

He glanced at the list of materials that he needed to create the potion that was essential to the curse.

Beetle Eyes

Daisy Roots

Dragon's blood

Essence of Belladonna

Glumbumble Treacle

The curse that Gellert had selected, all those years ago, was called bazagra. The bazagra curse was ancient, having been created long before Albus Dumbledore's great-great-great-great grandfather had been born. It was Bartholomew's opinion that Gellert's selection of this curse had been a reflection of his brilliance. In order to perform the bazagra curse, one needed to make a potion with the ingredients on Bartholomew's list of materials. In addition to those materials, one also needed a strand of hair from the person that one wished to curse. Then, once the strand of hair and the potion was ready, one would recite the incantation, and the effects of the curse would begin to show.

Bazagra would make the accursed miserable. The belladonna was poisonous and would therefore make one feel terribly sick, while the Glumbumble Treacle cause one to feel depressed and melancholy. After the curse was preformed, there was a period of six days where its effects could be reversed by a giving the accursed a mixture of unicorn tail hair and one Bezoar. After those few days ended, however, bazagra's effects were irreversible and the accursed would be stuck with a miserable life of constant sickness and depression.

And that was what would happen to Alice Dumbledore, Bartholomew thought to himself with a grin.

* * *

That evening, Alice, Arthur, Jacob, Gideon and Molly sat in the Gryffindor common room, talking and doing homework. Gideon finished his Charm's essay ("Fifteen inches on the first day back, Flitwick is insane!" he had complained) while Alice helped Arthur with Transfiguration homework. Jacob glanced at the clock.

"It's nearly eight o'clock Alice," he told his sister.

Alice sighed and stood up, "Well, I'd better go then. Duke will kill me if I'm late."

"Where is he at, anyway?" Molly asked, scanning the common room for Duke with no luck.

Gideon rolled his eyes, "He's far too high and mighty to join us lowly surfs in the common room, Moll. Honestly, I've never seen the responsibility of being a prefect get to somebody's head so much before. He's scaring some of the first years."

Alice nodded, "Yes, I've got to talk to him about that. See you later."

* * *

Duke was already standing in the hallway when Alice arrived. He wore an impatient look on his face.

"It's 8:05, which means that you're late," he greeted her.

"My watch says 7:55."

"Well, it's slow; you ought to fix it," Duke reprimanded.

"How do I know that yours isn't just fast?" Alice challenged at they walked the hallways.

Duke replied, "Because my watch always gives the exact time. I enjoy being punctual; I've never been late to class before, you know."

"Neither have I," Alice told him.

"Well, if you would like to continue in that fashion, I will once again advise you change your watch to the correct time."

"You know what? I'll make you a bet," Alice told him as they turned the corner, "When we get back to the common room, we'll look at the clock there. Whoever's watch is in sync with the grandfather clock has to buy the other a pound of Honeyduke's chocolate."

"Are you suggesting that we gamble?" Duke asked uncertainly.

Alice sighed, "No Duke, it's a harmless bet between two…er…business associates."

"Business associates?"

"Yes," Alice explained, "As prefects we both have a job, one that we do together, which would make us business associates."

"Alright: you're on, Dumbledore. I like dark chocolate best," Duke replied with confidence that vexed Alice.

"You know, nobody has actually won yet," she said, sounding annoyed.

"But I will win," Duke was quite sure of himself.

"Fine," Alice muttered; arguing with Aemilius Marmaduke Boipelo was a lost cause.


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Notes:** Summer and chapter four - two awesome things in our midst. Enjoy them both, and thanks for reading.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. I bet you already knew that.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Bartholomew angrily slammed his fist down on the table in his workspace. He had been very upset upon finding out that he was still missing ingredients for the potion. He threw a book onto the floor and pouted. He had been sure that had everything needed for the potion, save for a strand of Alice's hair, but he had been mistaken: he still needed dragon's blood. He would go into Hogsmeade and get some.

Bartholomew missed Gellert. He hated that vile Albus Dumbledore for taking up all of Gellert's time. If it hadn't been for Albus, Gellert and Bartholomew would have been able to spend much more time together and Gellert would have taught Bartholomew everything there was to know about history. It was Bartholomew's belief that Albus never should have befriended Gellert - if he hadn't, Bartholomew might've been able to be with Gellert at that very moment. That was the way it should have been - Bartholomew and Gellert spending many pleasant evenings together with Grandmother Bathilda. The fact that Gellert was imprisoned was completely the fault of that villain Albus Dumbledore! Albus had taken Gellert away from what was most important - family. He had wrecked Bartholomew's home life.

The imprisonment of Gellert had ruined Grandmother Bathilda. It had caused her to become mad with anguish; consequently, she could no longer take care of herself. Because of this, Bartholomew had needed to drop out of Hogwarts in order to watch over her. Bartholomew did not mind taking care of his grandmother, after all, she had raised him, but he had greatly missed Hogwarts.

That was why Bartholomew was so eager to complete the curse. In addition to avenging Gellert, he would be avenging Grandmother Bathilda and himself. Bartholomew found the entire situation to be wholly unfair - Albus Dumbledore had a perfectly happy family, but he ruined Bartholomew's. Bartholomew would change that. He would tear Albus' family apart just as Albus had done to his family. Just the thought of it made Bartholomew dizzy with excitement.

* * *

Katherine and Zoey sat by the lake during lunch the next day. The third day of term had proved itself to be quite pleasant and beautiful. The girls sat under the sunshine, enjoying sandwiches and conversation.

"What's your favorite class so far?" Katherine asked.

"Transfiguration. The idea of transforming something into something else is intriguing, don't you think?" Zoey replied.

"Yes. It's my favorite, too," Katherine paused. A smile appeared across her pretty features, "I suppose I'm biased, though."

Zoey grinned, "You're allowed to love your mum's subject."

Katherine nodded, "There can never be enough love in the world."

"Who's that man over there?" Zoey asked suddenly, pointing to a tall man with a prominent beard.

"I don't know" Katherine said, "Let's go introduce ourselves."

"Okay," Zoey liked Katherine's idea. She began racing over to the tall man. "C'mon!"

She called over her shoulder to Katherine, laughing.

"Hello," Zoey said with a smile when she and Katherine reached the tall man.

Katherine was surprised she had not seen him before; if he was a member of the Hogwart's staff, she would have seen him or heard about him from her older siblings. Perhaps he was new.

" 'Ello there," the tall man smiled at the girls, "My name's Hagrid. I'm the new groundskeeper."

"I'm Zoey, and this is Katherine. We're first years," Zoey supplied. Katherine smiled shyly at Hagrid, who grinned at her in return.

* * *

Later, Katherine sat in transfiguration, her last class of the day. Earlier, Mr. Hagrid had invited her and Zoey for tea. He seemed like such a nice person, and Katherine hoped that she would see him around Hogwarts often. She focused her attention back to the match that sat in front of her; her efforts to turn it into a needle had proved thus far to be futile. Her blonde hair had escaped from behind her shoulders and clouded her vision. She flicked her wand at the match, hoping that the spell would work this time.

In front of her, a Slytherin boy encountered success.

"I did it, Professor!" He loudly vaunted his achievement.

Minerva walked over to see, "Very good, Mr. Malfoy. Ten points for Slytherin."

When Minerva was gone, the Slytherin boy turned to Katherine and sent a malicious glare in her direction, "Looks as if I beat you. I guess _all_ of the Dumbledore family can't shine, can they?"

Katherine bit her lip.

Zoey glared at the boy, "Nobody wants to hear the ridiculous things that come out of your idiotic mouth, Lucius. Please do the class a favor and keep quiet."

"Nobody asked you," Lucius muttered angrily before turning back to admire his completed work.

* * *

Minerva stood at the entrance to her husband's office. "Pink lollipops," she said the password and entered. Albus was sitting at his desk, looking as if he were in deep thought. Sensing his wife's presence, he glanced up and smiled. However, Minerva noticed that behind the smile, his eyes looked troubled.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, dear?" Albus asked.

"To the plethora of start-of-term matters that still need discussing," Minerva replied, slightly anxious that they had not talked about some of them earlier, "The house elves want to arrange a meeting - they want make some changes in the weekly menu, and need to schedule Hogsmeade trips on the student's calendars."

"Alright," Albus said quietly, "I'll meet with the elves tomorrow at 10:00, and as for Hogsmeade trips, what about the first and third Saturdays of each month?"

"Excellent. I'll let the elves know," Minerva paused, "Albus, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me, Min," Albus lied.

She gave him a look.

"I'm fine," he wanted neither to talk or think about it; Ariana was such a painful subject. She was a painful subject who kept creeping into his conscience.

"Albus, I wish you would talk to me. I hate to see you so unhappy. Sometimes it's as if," Minerva struggled to find the right words, "You're carrying the entire wizarding world on your shoulders, and the weight is killing you."

"I can't talk about it right now, Minerva," Albus said, tears beginning to form in his blue eyes. "I just…it's too painful."

* * *

Jacob and Gideon waited for the other members of _The Quill _to arrive in Professor Burbage's classroom. They hadn't been there long when Greta arrived.

"Hey Greta," Jacob greeted his friend and fellow fourth year. Greta smiled. She had green eyes and pale blonde hair that was in a bun. She wore a skirt with grey tights, a pale green blouse with blue sequins, and a quill in her hair bun. Greta was slightly eccentric and a great writer.

"Has Greta Catchlove caught love yet?" Gideon greeted her, laughing at his own joke.

"Oh, you think you're just the epitome of funny, don't you?" Greta smiled, "I'm the first one here, then, all mighty and powerful editors?"

"Yeah," Jacob replied, "I hope we get a few new people. Benjy and Musidora will be here soon, though."

"_If_ Musidora shows up," said Gideon, "She likes us about as much as Duke Boipelo likes disorder."

"She'll be here," Jacob answered, "She may not like us, but writing is her thing."

"That's true," Greta replied.

"Hi everybody!" Cheerful Benjy entered the room.

"Benjy!" Gideon gave the third year Hufflepuff a high five.

When he joined the staff of _The Quill _the previous year, Benjy had been the youngest person there, but he was also the most enthusiastic and optimistic. He was a valuable part of the team.

Five minutes later, after a Ravenclaw seventh year, a Hufflepuff fourth year, and Arthur Weasley had joined them, Jacob glanced at his watch, "Well, it's 6:10. We should probably get started. Thanks for coming, everyone."

"You will not regret it," Gideon winked.

The door opened. Musidora quietly entered and sat in the back of the room.

"So, let's get started," Jacob said.

* * *

At dinner, Gideon twirled spaghetti on his fork. Molly munched on French bread, and Arthur sipped his pumpkin juice.

"I think we ought to aim to get the first issue out in about three weeks," Jacob said, referring to _The Quill_, "It'll be great."

"Definitely," Gideon concurred, "Let's aim to publish as many issues as possible. The more the merrier, I say."

The editors grinned at each other.

"I've got to finish eating soon," Molly said, "That Transfiguration homework seems as if it will take awhile; I've got to get started."

"You're right, and I'm completely lost. I just don't understand the readings; I've got to see Professor McGonagall."

"I'll go with you," Molly replied, "Let me just get some more pumpkin juice."

"I'll get it!" Arthur said eagerly, reaching for the jug before Molly could. He knocked it over, and pumpkin juice spilt all over Molly's food.

"Sorry, Molly!" Arthur said, blushing, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Arthur," Molly said as she cleaned up the mess with her wand. She smiled, "Now, let's go see McGonagall."

* * *

Alice and Duke walked from corridor to corridor, patrolling the halls. The two walked the halls in silence. It was a quiet night; they had yet to find anyone out of bed.

Alice yawned.

"Don't get any ideas, Dumbledore," Duke glared at her, "It's only 9:00, and we're here until 10:00. Leaving early is out of the question. We will not slack off. Aemilius Marmaduke Boipelo is no slacker."

"Who said anything about leaving early?" Alice snapped back, "It was just a yawn, and nothing more."

"Yawning often, if not always, symbolizes sleepiness," Duke lectured, sounded as if he were reciting from a text book.

"It was just a yawn. I'm not going to fail at this," Alice told him, "Besides, the only reason you're angry is because you lost the watch bet: your watch was slow, and mine was on time."

"Completely untrue," Duke lied, "True, my watch was a few minutes slow, but that is not why I'm angry. I'm simply worried that your sleepiness will interfere with your duties as a prefect."

"Whatever," Alice replied.

"I don't see how we're both tied for the best in all of our classes, Dumbledore," Duke said, "Sometimes you're just so…"

"What?" Alice challenged angrily. Duke was right; she _was _tired and did not feel like putting up with him for the rest of the year, "I'm so what?"

"Inarticulate," Duke finished.

"Just because I don't go around speaking like an old, all powerful monarch like you do doesn't mean I'm not articulate," Alice said.

"That, Dumbledore, is arguable," Duke said, "Arguable."

Hmm, why do I always end chapters with Duke and Alice arguing/bantering? Oh well. I hope you liked this chapter.


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Notes: ** I am determined to finish this story before August 18th, which is when school starts for me, so keep checking back. Thanks for reading, and please review.

**Disclaimer: **Anything that your recognize from JK Rowling's books is not mine.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Albus sat with Fawkes in his office. It was late at night, and he was aware of the fact that he probably should be sleeping at this hour. However, his worries kept him awake. He looked for what was seemingly the thousandth time at the note Minerva had given him earlier that day.

_Dear Albus,_

_I wish I could I could take whatever is bothering you and make it disappear. Whatever it is, Albus, I know that you're incredibly strong, and that you can face it. I believe in you, and I am here if you need me._

_All my love,_

_Minerva_

Albus wished he could make the whole thing disappear, too. He wished with all of his heart that he could go back in time and prevent the events that had killed Ariana from occurring. He longed for one more chance, an opportunity to be a better brother to Ariana and Aberforth. The reality, however, was different: he could not make what was bothering him disappear. He could not go back in time and act differently. As Minerva, ever wise, had told him the other night: "What we've done in the past is forever behind us. We can't change it, which is why we try to be the best that we can be in the present."

He needed to face Ariana's death, just like Aberforth was doing. People did not give Aberforth enough credit: to most, he seemed nothing more than a quirky man obsessed with goats, but Albus saw a wisdom in his brother that he himself lacked. Albus had obsessed himself with Gellert and books, but the younger Dumbledore brother had been there for their sister when he had not. He, Aberforth, had already known that there was more to life than academia. Aberforth had spent quality time with Ariana, something that Albus had failed to do. Now Aberforth was dealing with Ariana's death and putting it behind him, just as Albus knew that he himself must do.

He needed to make proper amends with Aberforth and to try and forgive himself for what had happened that night. It would not be easy, but that fact that Minerva believed in him so strongly comforted him. He looked at the clock and yawned; it was time for him to go to bed.

* * *

As she and Duke turned down the corridor, Alice thought about the silence that had been predominant so far that night. They had yet to exchange two words - so far there had been nothing but silence. She was sure that Duke was angry about last night and the watch bet. Who knew that having a watch set five minutes early would upset someone so much?

Then again, Alice mused, this was Duke Boipelo, the boy that lived for rules, organization, and order, and took an immediate dislike to anyone or anything that did not exemplify those qualities. Having the time of his watch off by a few minutes was probably Duke's boggart, so Alice decided to be lenient toward him. Besides, if they were going to carry out their duties as prefects efficiently, they could not go on like this.

Just as she was about to say something, Duke punished two Hufflepuff third year boys for being out of bed. After he had taken twenty-five points from Hufflepuff, the two boys scurried of, sending dirty looks in Duke's direction.

"Nice job," Alice complimented him, "I had a feeling it would be you to catch the first students out of bed this year."

"Yes," Duke snapped at her, "because we both know you would be too busy yawning the night away to notice anything."

"One time. I yawned _one time _last night and you reuse to let it go. Dear Merlin, you're impossible!" Alice shot back angrily. Leniency was forgotten.

"Pardon me if I want us both to do our job efficiently!" Duke hissed through clenched teeth, "I've waited five years to have this honor and I don't want to mess things up."

"We can hardly perform our prefect duties efficiently if we refuse to speak together and getting caught up arguing about trivial things," Alice growled angrily.

They walked in angry silence for a few moments, thinking about each others words and wondering what would happen next.

"I apologize," Duke said, "I may have been a bit, ah, unreasonable."

"I'm sorry about the watch thing," Alice replied, "I sort of rubbed it in your face a bit."

"Well, I'd rather it be a tad early than late," Duke smiled slightly, "You're right - if we're to do this job the best we can, we need to be on more friendly terms."

"I'm glad you see my point, but…" Alice trailed off.

"Yes?"

"Why are you so worried about messing this up? I mean, what we have to worry about as prefects - rules, leadership - they're kind of your forte, aren't they?" Alice asked.

Duke didn't answer her, and Alice did not press the question. She had no desire to risk their newly found peace with each other by being nosey.

* * *

A few days later, Molly and Alice arrived at The Three Broomsticks and sat down at a table, saving a spot for their late friend, Arthur. They weren't surprised, though: he was often late.

"Three butter beers, please," Alice ordered. On that particular day, she had her auburn hair in a long ponytail.

"I wonder where Arthur is," Molly thought out loud.

"You know him, Molls: being late is like his second nature. Besides, I'm not that much of a drag to spend time with, am I?" Alice teased.

Molly smiled, "You know I didn't mean it like that. Sometimes I worry that his tardiness will get him in to trouble, that's all."

"And you want to see him," Alice said wisely.

"Well, it's not as if I can argue with that statement," Molly sounded slightly exasperated, but she was grinning. They both giggled.

"You know, our brothers both seemed so down last night in the common room," Molly commented a few moments later.

"It's Musidora from _The Quill_. They don't like working with her," Alice explained knowingly, "And you know it must be pretty bad if it's getting to Jacob, because he can deal with nearly anyone with a smile on his face."

"She has always has this angry look in her eye, and she's awfully sullen" Molly sipped her butter beer, "I'd be scared to cross her."

"Cross who?" Arthur asked as he joined his friends at the table.

* * *

"Minerva?" Albus asked as he stepped into her office.

She looked up from the papers she was grading and smiled, "Albus, hi."

He sat across from her and took her hand in his, "Thank you for your letter. It gave me the courage that I needed so desperately to face some things…Ariana's death."

"Oh," Minerva's face was a mixture of concern and sincerity.

"The thing is," Albus began, "Aberforth was right. I never dealt with it. I tried to bury it under teaching, to forget about it, but that won't work for me anymore, Minerva. It keeps coming up, creeping into my mind as if it's determined to never leave me alone."

"What are you going to do?" Minerva asked her husband.

Albus thought for a moment, "Well, talk to Aberforth about it, surely. I'll make amends."

"That's a good start," Minerva encouraged.

"Yes, but I'm so unsure as of what to do after that," Albus worried.

"Don't worry, Albus," Minerva told him, "It will come to you. You'll know eventually."

* * *

Bartholomew stepped into the Hog's Head for a quick drink. After he finished here he would get what he needed to finish the potion. As he sipped his firewhiskey, he noticed a girl with black hair with red highlights sitting in the corner, scribbling something in a notebook. Bartholomew took notice of the girl's anger, and forgetting the fact that he usually kept to himself, he sat down next to her.

She glanced up, fury flashing from behind her grey colored eyes. She studied Bartholomew for a few seconds, and then refocused her attention on her notebook.

"Hi," Bartholomew said awkwardly.

The girl did not look up and continued writing.

Bartholomew strained to see the name written in her notebook.

"Musid_e_ra?" He asked uncertainly.

She sighed, sounding exasperated, "It's Musid_o_ra. What do you want? I'm trying to write."

"What are you writing?" Bartholomew asked.

"A poem about a girl who annoys me nearly as much as you do."

"Why does she bother you?"

"Why should I tell you?" Musidora shot back, not looking up from her notebook. After a pause she started angrily, "She thinks she's so great, and all of the teachers just love her. Everything she has was handed to her on a platter, without her doing any work whatsoever! She's incredibly spoiled! All because of her bloody parents, of course."

"All because of per parents?" Bartholomew asked uncertainly.

"Her parents are in charge at school. They're both very influential," Musidora ranted spitefully, angry words flowing out of her like water from a faucet.

An excitement filled Bartholomew: could she be talking about Alice Dumbledore, the girl that was vital to Gellert's plan? Could this Musidora girl give him the information that he needed so desperately?

"And of course, her friends absolutely worship her. Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett, two redheaded fools that constantly follow Alice Dumbledore around. It's as if they're her bodyguards or something. I have to put up with her blasted brother during meetings of the literary magazine. You've never seen a more annoying bunch of goody goody duffers before. They're probably in that stupid jolly broomsticks restaurant right now, discussing how great they all are. Why do you want to know, anyway?" Musidora demanded.

I, erm," Bartholomew stammered, "No reason. Just trying to strike up a conversation."

He laughed nervously.

Musidora shot a disgusted look in Bartholomew's direction.

"I've got writing to do," She said, clearly meaning she had much better things to do than talk to Bartholomew, "Sit here if it strikes your fancy, but for the love of Merlin, don't bombard me with questions."

"No, no," Bartholomew had what he needed, "I'll just be going now. Erm, good luck with your poem."

* * *

After the three had paid for and finished their drinks, Molly, Alice, and Arthur exited The Three Broomsticks.

"Were shall we go next?" Molly asked, adjusting her green scarf.

"I've been dying to go to Honeydukes," Arthur replied.

"Then lets go," Molly exclaimed, "Alice, are you coming?"

"I've actually got to go to the quill shop," Alice replied, "But you two go on ahead without me. We'll meet up later."

The three friends then split up, Molly and Arthur going in one direction and Alice walking in a different one.

A few minutes later, when Arthur and Molly were nearing Honeydukes and Alice was out of sight, Bartholomew was stepping out of The Hog's Head. He spotted the two redheads and began to walk behind them. He presumed that they were the friends that Musidora had talked about. Molly and Arthur entered Honeydukes, and Arthur unknowingly dropped some paperwork. Bartholomew picked it up and studied its contents.

_Remedial Transfiguration: A Guide for Those Who are Struggling at the Fifth Level_, the first page was titled. Bartholomew glanced it over. At first it seemed as if it was nothing interesting or useful to him, but all of a sudden he noticed something. It was a single strand of blonde hair. It could belong to neither Arthur nor Molly, since their hair was red. In Bartholomew's mind, this left one person: Alice.

Bartholomew marveled at his luck - he had found the vital ingredient by chance. It seemed as if fate was on his side at last. The blonde hair that was so important to the potion had practically just landed in his lap. He had finally gotten what he needed most; all that was left to do was to pick up the other ingredients left.

* * *

Katherine, her blonde hair in two braids, walked with Zoey to Hagrid's hut. The girls had befriended the kind half giant, who in turn had invited them over for tea. They arrived and Zoey knocked on the door. Hagrid answered, grinned upon seeing them, and ushered them in.

The girls sat down, watching Hagrid bustle around in the kitchen.

"You two hungry?" Hagrid asked, "I've just made some scones this morning - blueberry flavored. It's good stuff."

"Alright," Zoey said.

Katherine added, "Thanks, Mr. Hagrid."

"Nota problem," Hagrid sat down, brining a tray with the tea and scones, "So, you lot - tell me about your first year so far."

"Oh, it's fabulous. I mean, being muggle born, I would have never imagined all the amazing things that you can do with magic," Zoey beamed, "And I've met so many nice people."

"Well, Hogwarts is a great place," Hagrid added, "I remember me own times here as a student. It was all fine and dandy…until I got expelled, that is."

"Why were you -" Curious Zoey began, only to be interrupted by an embarrassed looking Hagrid.

"Katherine, how's everyone in yer family doin'?"

"We're alright. Everyone, save for me, has been really busy. My parents have a bunch of things to do, Alice is a prefect, and Jacob has been occupied with _The Quill_," Katherine replied. She was suddenly imbued with feeling that she was not as talented as the rest of her family. This had been bothering her on and off ever since the Transfiguration incident with Lucius Malfoy.

"And we've been busy, too," Zoey pitched in, "With all of our new classes."

Katherine nodded in agreement, but couldn't rid herself of the feeling of inadequacy.

* * *

"Well," Molly stood up from the comfy armchair in the Gryffindor common room that she had been sitting in, "It's six and my tutoring with Professor McGonagall starts soon. See you guys."

"Bye Molly," Alice waved.

"Bye. I'd be going too, but I've got to work on this essay for Muggle Studies," Arthur replied.

"Hey Alice," Arthur asked a few minutes later as he rummaged through his stack of text books, "Have you seen my Transfiguration papers?"

"No," Alice replied, "I know you had them at The Three Broomsticks, though."

"Odd," he said with a frown. He pulled his Muggle Studies book out from the pile, "How're things with Duke? Has it gotten any better?"

"Actually, it has," Alice replied, "We both agreed that if we're to do our jobs as prefects efficiently, we need to be on speaking terms."

"Well, that's good," Arthur said. He paused and looked over his shoulder. He looked back at Alice. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.

Duke Boipelo had entered the common room. "Hello Arthur," he greeted them, "No patrolling tonight, Alice."

"Yeah," Alice replied, "The Ravenclaws can punish anyone out of bed this time."

"Indeed. I'll be seeing you some other time, then."

"Sure. In class, for starters," Alice's smiled, and green eyes twinkled.

"Yes, yes," Duke replied, looking almost flustered. It was a strange look on the face of the typically confident Aemilius Marmaduke Boipelo, "Goodbye then."

He exited through the portrait hole, and Arthur chuckled.

"What?" Alice asked.

"Nothing. I just had a crazy idea," Arthur replied, "Have you ever thought that Duke might…fancy you?"

"What? Arthur, Duke can barely stand me," Alice argued, "The only reason he was even talking to me was so that we can be on friendlier terms in order to be better prefects."

"I don't think he's opposed to the idea," Arthur said thoughtfully.

"Of being a good prefect? Of course not, this is Duke Boipelo we're talking about."

"No. I don't think he minds having an excuse to talk to you. And I know, he was giving you a hard time before, but sometimes we guys do that when we," Arthur's trailed off.

"Have feelings for someone?"

"Yeah."

"Well, enough about Duke's undying love for me," Alice said, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She was surprised to find that she was not completely against the idea of Duke fancying her, "What about you? Is there anyone you…fancy?"

Arthur's face turned the exact same shade as his hair.

"So there is someone," Alice said mater of factly.

"Maybe," Arthur said, "Hypothetically, Alice, if you were a girl -"

"I am a girl," Alice stated.

"But if you were _the _girl -"

"The one that you fancy?" Alice asked, her eyes twinkling again.

"Yes," Arthur replied, "If you were her, would you want me to tell you how I feel? Would you want me to give you…presents, or something?"

"Well," Alice replied, praying that her advice was not going to end up breaking Molly's heart, "I would give her a few things first, and then I would tell her."

"Oh," Arthur looked thoughtful, "That's a good idea. Thanks Alice."

"Any time, Arthur," Alice replied, "Any time."


	6. Chapter Six

**Author's Notes: **So, two things. Check out the poll on my profile page and vote, and kudos to anyone who spots the quote from _His Dark Materials _(_The Golden Compass_, to be exact).

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything that you recognize from Harry Potter. The little bit from_ The Golden Compass_ belongs to Philip Pullman.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Albus entered the Hog's Head. It was seven o'clock and nobody was in the pub, save for himself and his brother. The emptiness of the pub relived Albus because he wanted to talk to Aberforth alone.

"Albus?" Aberforth asked, surprised to see his older brother standing uncertainly at the entrance of the pub.

"Hello, Aberforth," Albus said.

"What brings you here?" Inquired Aberforth.

"Can we talk?"

"Alright" Aberforth looked slightly startled. He motioned at a table and sat down; Albus followed suit.

"I've been thinking about what you told me a few weeks ago, Aberforth, and you were absolutely right," Albus began, "I never properly dealt our sister's - Ariana's- death."

"Oh," Aberforth replied.

"I'm going to follow your example and apologize. Aberforth," Albus said sincerely, " I'm so sorry about not being a better older brother to you. I feel terrible about all the events that occurred, namely Ariana's death. If I could go back and act differently, I would. Aberforth, I would give anything to be able to go back and make things right. I apologize."

After Albus finished, Aberforth was silent for a few moments. He did not know how to respond. Before the night on which he apologized to Albus, he would have most likely have responded to Albus' apology by lashing out and told Albus that wish as he might, there was no way to go back and fix everything. But now, he didn't want to yell at Albus. He was so sick of being angry; he wanted everything to be okay. He knew that everything wasn't okay now, but it could be a bit closer to being so. He wanted to accept his apology, so he did.

"Thank you for coming," Aberforth replied, his voice rough, "I wish I could go back and act differently, too. And, Albus…things aren't okay just yet, but they're closer to being that way."

* * *

The next morning in the Gryffindor common room, where Molly sat playing wizard chess with Alice, Arthur came down from the boy's dormitories, holding a package wrapped in orange paper with green ribbon.

"Morning, Arthur," Alice greeted him. Molly was absorbed in the chess game, pondering her next move. She frowned in concentration and finally moved her knight.

She looked up at Arthur, "Hi."

"Good morning Molly!" Arthur said cheerfully. He gave her the package, "Here, this is for you."

Molly smiled happily. She opened the package carefully and saw a pink scarf.

"Arthur, this is lovely!" Molly exclaimed.

"Oh, do you really like it?" Arthur asked in an excited manner, "I thought the green one from yesterday looked pretty on you, so I thought you might like another."

Molly replied and the two of them began a happy conversation. Alice beamed in the background, happy for the possible romantic future of her two friends and relieved that she had not advised Arthur on how to court a girl that _wasn't _Molly. Alice exited the common room through the portrait hole and started walking towards the library.

Alice entered the library, saw Jacob and Gideon, and went over to talk to them.

"Hi Alice," Jacob greeted her. Gideon waved.

"What are you working on?" Alice asked, motioning to the pile of papers that lay scattered on the table that they were at.

"It's stuff people have submitted so far for _The Quill_," Gideon replied, "Just first drafts."

"Oh, how's that going so far?" Asked Alice.

"Good," Jacob said.

Gideon asked cheerfully, "How are you?"

"Good, actually. Duke and I are on friendly terms," Alice replied, "Arthur and Molly are having a good day, and their happiness is contagious, I guess. I'll let you two get back to work now."

"See you around, Alice," Both Jacob and Gideon said.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alice was browsing through the many books that the library held when she bumped into someone.

"Ouch!" the voice said, sounding oddly familiar.

"Sorry!" Alice apologized sincerely. She turned around to see who she had bumped into. "Duke!" she exclaimed.

"Hello to you, too," he replied, "And please, don't be so loud in the library."

"Sorry. I was just surprised to see you," Alice was quieter than she had been earlier, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to pick up a book, but it seems to be checked out," Duke replied with a disappointed look on his face.

"What book?" Alice asked.

"_Othello_," he told her.

"I have a copy of that book, it's in my dormitory," Alice paused, "I could lend it to you."

"Alright," Duke replied.

* * *

Gideon looked up from the poem he was proofreading and studied Jacob, "Are you alright, mate? You look down."

Jacob sighed, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a it stressed."

"Jake, we can talk to each other about stuff, right? I mean, that's what friends are for," Gideon said, concerned.

"I know," Jacob replied, "You're a great friend, Gideon, but I don't feel like talking about it."

Gideon respected Jacob's desire to not discuss hat was bothering him, so he decided to change the subject.

"You don't want to talk about what a good friend I am?" Gideon tried to feign sadness, but a grin appeared on his face.

Jacob laughed, and it was if his upset expression had evaporated, "Oh, you _know_ what I mean."

* * *

Alice emerged from the girls' dormitories carrying _Othello_ and joined Duke in the common room.

"Here you go," She said.

"Thank you," Duke replied. "Have you started the Transfiguration homework yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No, but I've been helping Arthur with his," Alice replied, "So it shouldn't be too difficult when I start mine."

Duke asked disapprovingly, "Why are you friends with them? Him and Molly, I mean."

"What do you mean, _why am I friends with them_?" Alice demanded suspiciously.

"You are an extremely talented witch from a powerful family," Duke explained, "Arthur Weasley is a muggle obsessed nobody, and Molly Prewett isn't much better."

"How dare you!"

"We're better than them, you and I both! Our families are influential and powerful, as we will be one day," Duke said heatedly , "You and I could take the universe apart and put it together again, Alice. But Molly and Arthur? They would have no idea where to start."

"I wouldn't want to take the universe apart with someone who talks about my friends like that," Alice replied solemnly, "Molly and Arthur are good people and my best friends. The sky won't fall if you don't come from a powerful family."

With that, she exited through the portrait hole with her auburn hair swinging behind her, leaving Duke alone in the common room.

* * *

_They were at the beach together, away from the stresses of school. The waves crashed in the background as they sat in the sand and the sun shone down on them as they sat in the sand. He said something funny, and they both laughed. Then he grabbed a beach ball, one of those big, blowup, multicolored ones._

"_C'mon, Jake!" he said enthusiastically, "Catch."_

"Jacob?" Greta asked during a meeting of _The Quill_, shaking Jacob out of his daydream, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Help with what?" Jacob asked, looking disoriented.

"I was thinking of anything you need me to do for _The Quill_," Greta replied, "But I'd be willing to help with anything."

"I think we're good as far as _The Quill _goes," Jacob said. He smiled, "And as for anything else, I'll tell you if anything comes up."

"Alright everybody," Gideon announced the end of the meeting, "Good work today. See you around."

Everyone began leaving the classroom.

"Bye Jacob!" Benjy said cheerfully.

"Bye," Jacob said. Was the meeting over already? Jacob wondered how long he had been daydreaming for.

"Jacob?" Musidora said. They were the only ones left in Professor Burbage's classroom. It was strange to hear Musidora's voice - she rarely spoke during the meetings.

"Yeah? Hi, Musidora," Jacob replied.

"I wanted to let you know that I'm quitting," Musidora stated bluntly.

"Oh," Jacob was surprised, "May I ask why?"

"This simply isn't my cup of tea," she replied.

"But you seem to like writing," Jacob said, "Your poems are very good."

"I do, but there are places I'd rather be than these meetings. Not that it's any of your business whatsoever," Musidora added before she left the room.

"Bye, Musidora," Jacob said.

* * *

Bartholomew worked on the potion. He poured the belladonna into his cauldron. As he was doing this, he remembered a day from the past.

_He had knocked on he door of what had used to be the guest room, "Gellert?"_

"_Come in," Gellert had replied in his thick German accent. He had smiled at his younger cousin, "Hello."_

"_Hi," Bartholomew had replied. He had glanced around he room; Gellert was still unpacking. A trunk half filled with clothes had stood in the corner. Gellert's books had filled nearly all of the bookshelves. Gellert had many different books - mysteries, spell books, and histories, to name a few. Bartholomew had stared at a particular book._

_Gellert glanced at the book his cousin had been staring at. It was a history book about Henry VIII of England. Gellert smiled and handed the book to Bartholomew._

"_Here, take it," Gellert had offered him the book with a smile._

"_Really?" Bartholomew had asked._

"_Certainly," Gellert had replied, "If I am going to teach you about history, we must start somewhere."_

"_Gee, thanks Gellert," Bartholomew said happily, "I sure am glad you came to live with me and Aunt Bathilda. Oh, and Aunt Bathilda wanted me to come tell you that dinner's ready."_

Bartholomew sighed wistfully: that day had been a long time ago, and Gellert was gone now. Bartholomew was absolutely sure that he and Gellert would have been the best of friends it Albus Dumbledore had not entered the picture. He had to come along and ruin everything.

Thinking about that made Bartholomew angry and inspired him to work harder and faster. It had taken him fourteen years to get to this almost finished point, which he connected to his early departure from Hogwarts in order to care for Aunt Bathilda. Bartholomew was sure that Gellert could have finished the potion in a matter of minutes, though. Bartholomew glanced over at the ingredients to the potion, including the strand of blonde hair that he believed to be Alice's. It was only a matter of time before she would be cursed.

* * *

That evening, blonde haired Katherine joined Alice in the Gryffindor common room and sat down. The incident with Lucius Malfoy was still bothering her. Today Professor Flitwick had put the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years in groups of two in order to practice the _wingardium leviosa _charm, and Katherine had been paired with Lucius. Katherine remembered.

"_Wingardium leviosa," Lucius had said for the third. His feather had floated into the air. He had looked at Katherine and gloated._

"_It looks like I just proved my point from the other day," he had told Katherine maliciously, who was on her fourth attempt and had not encountered success yet, "Not all of the Dumbledores are geniuses."_

"_Oh, shut _up_ Lucius," Zoey had retorted in her friend's defense, "The only reason you got it was out of sheer dumb luck."_

"_I am _not _the dumb one," Lucius had replied smugly, glancing at Katherine._

Katherine thought about what Lucius had said. She had been denying it inside of her head, but it was true. Wasn't it? She hadn't been able to do the work in Transfiguration of Charms. The rest of her family was brilliant. She felt insignificant in comparison to her siblings: Alice was at the top of her class and a prefect, and Jacob was smart, perceptive, and a great writer. Katherine was in deep thought. What was she? What was her forte?

"Alice?" Katherine asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah?"

"How do you know what you're really good at in life?"

Alice looked at her younger sister thoughtfully, "Thought experience, I guess. You try out a bunch of different things and see what comes naturally to you. I'm not really sure, though."

"Oh," Katherine replied, "But do you think what _you'r_e really good at is being a prefect?"

Alice sighed, "I don't know. I didn't really want to be a prefect at first, it felt as if it had been handed to me on a sliver platter."

"Do you like it now?'

"I thought I did earlier today, but now I'm not sure," Alice looked sad.

"Did you and Duke get into an argument?" Katherine asked.

"Yes. Well, I got angry at him, at least," Alice replied.

"Do you not want to talk about it?'

"Not really," Alice replied, "What about you? Why are you worrying about finding what you're good at all of a sudden?"

Katherine stayed quiet.

"Do you not want to talk about it, either?" Alice asked.

"No," Katherine replied. The sisters stayed in pleasant silence for awhile until some third year boys joined them in the common room.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own anything from the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

**

* * *

Chapter Seven**

Jacob sat in the Great Hall. It was a Saturday, and he had gotten up early that morning. It was a routine of his. Nearly every day, Jacob was up before seven o'clock. He liked mornings. They were quiet and peaceful, which made them perfect for thinking.

Jacob sipped his pumpkin juice, and his mind wandered to his daydream from the other day. He smiled to himself as he recalled the sand, the multicolored beach ball, and Gideon. Gideon, his best friend and other person in his daydream. The daydream had been so vivid, and Jacob remembered the details - the sound of the ocean, and how the sun had shone down on them. Gideon's eyes had seemed to sparkle in the sunshine. Thinking about him made Jacob's smile grow.

Jacob's mind strayed from the memory of the dream, and he wondered if loved Gideon as a best friend, or if it was something more than platonic. Although Jacob had never been in love before and knew little about matters of the heart, he suspected it was the latter. When he was with Gideon, he felt very lighthearted, almost as if he was floating. Gideon could always bring a smile to his face, or laughter through his lips. Jacob felt very loyal to Gideon, and the thought of anything harming him alarmed Jacob greatly. If this was love, than Jacob was sure he loved Gideon Prewett.

* * *

Later that morning, long after her brother had been there, Alice sat in the Great Hall, eating breakfast. As she munched on a pastry, her family's owl brought her a letter.

"Thanks Hermes," Alice said as she took the letter. Stamped in green on the outside were the initials H. S. Alice opened the letter.

_Dear Ms. Dumbledore, _

_You are cordially invited to the very first meeting of the Slug Club. The Slug Club is a little group I am forming, consisting of Hogwart's most outstanding students, handpicked by myself. We will meet in my classroom this Friday, October twentieth, at seven o'clock pm. Refreshments will be provided. Hope to see you there._

_Very Most Sincerely,_

_Professor Horace Slughorn_

Alice frowned, unsure of what to make of the invitation. Did she want to go? It could be fun, and Professor Slughorn was her father's friend and had always been kind to her. He had also been the one to select her as a prefect. Sometimes, however, Alice got the distinct feeling that he was only interested in her and her family because of the influential positions that her parents held. She would talk to her friends and see what they thought about the whole thing.

* * *

Albus remembered a day, many years ago, before his father had been sent to prison, when his family had spent a day together. When he was nine years old, he, his father, his mother, seven year old Aberforth and five year old Ariana had taken a picnic to a nearby lake. He, Aberforth, and Ari had happily splashed in the water. Their parents had smiled and watched them, and their father had suggested to their mother that they join Albus and his siblings in the lake. Their mother had been hesitant at first and had laughed at the idea, but eventually their father had convinced her. The five Dumbledores played in the lake together as a family. It had been a very happy day.

Years after that day, he and Minerva had taken their children to that same lake. Alice had been twelve, Jacob eleven, and Katherine seven. He and Minerva had watched as the three young ones had swam in the lake.

"Minerva," Albus had said, a smile forming across his features, "Let's join them in the water."

"Albus," Minerva had laughed, "We aren't children anymore."

"Who says you have to be a child to swim?" Albus had asked, "C'mon, love, it will be fun. I guarantee it."

Minerva had shook her head, smiling, "Albus Dumbledore."

"Yes?"

"Last one in the water is a rotten dragons' egg!" Minerva had exclaimed, laughing, and had began to running the direction of the water. Albus had echoed her laughter, and both of them had been in the water within minutes.

All five of them had been soaking wet and laughing. Albus had made a wish that this family would never be torn apart.

Albus was shaken from his reverie, but continued to think about his family. There were many parallels between himself and his siblings to his children. He and Alice were both very intelligent. Albus had once been tempted by people who though that they were elite, better than everyone else, and he worried that the same would happen to his eldest child. Aberforth and Jacob both understood people. The similarities between Ariana and Katherine were stunning. The fact they shared similar looks (blonde hair, blue eyes, and constant smiles) was only tapping the surface. His younger sister, just like his younger daughter, had been kind, innocent, and sweet. Indeed, his daughter's name, Katherine Rosalia, translated to innocent rose. Albus hoped that Katherine would never be hurt like Ariana had been.

* * *

Katherine sat glumly by the lake. Lucius Malfoy's teasing and cruelty had taken a toll on her, and she was feeling quite sad. She still had not been able to rid herself of the feeling that she was inferior to the rest of her family. As Lucius had been reminding her, their magical talents surpassed hers by far. Her parents were both very talented; both were animagi. Alice was at top of all of her classes, and Jacob was also brilliant. What was she? How did she fit into this brilliant family? Tears began to fall from her blue eyes.

Just then, Rubeus Hagrid saw the sad girl sitting by the lake, "Katherine?" He sat down next to her.

"Hi Mr. Hagrid," Katherine said, and then sniffled.

"Wha's the matter?" The half giant asked, concerned.

"Mr. Hagrid," Katherine asked, "Do you ever feel like you don't belong?"

"Sometimes, but," Hagrid responded, "Yeh do belong here at Hogwarts, Katherine. You're a witch."

"I know I belong here," Katherine replied, still upset, "But sometimes…sometimes it feels like I don't belong with my family. They're all so great, Mr. Hagrid, and I'm just…just Katherine. I'm not that good at magic."

"Of course you belong with your family," Hagrid said, "You're just as great as they are. You're great _because _you're just Katherine."

"How can I be great if I can't do a simple _wingardium leviosa _charm?" Katherine asked uncertainly.

"Katherine, yer one of the kindest, most caring students I've ever met," Hagrid exclaimed, "That's what makes you _very _great. When I came here you welcomed me an' were sweet. Yeh made me feel as if I belonged at Hogwarts, and I'm sure Zooey Bell feels the same way. Kindness is your forte. People like yourself are needed in this world, just as much as people who can do fancy spells. Besides, yeh just started learning magic. You'll be able to do that charm soon enough."

Katherine smiled and gave Hagrid a hug, "Thank you, Mr. Hagrid."

"Yer welcome," Hagrid smiled, "But don't yeh forget that. I don't like seeing yeh so sad."

* * *

Albus put the lamb in the oven. Alice and Katherine chopped vegetables for shepherd's pie. Minerva worked with potatoes and Jacob set the table. It wasn't often that they ate dinner together as a family during the school year; after all, it was a rarity that both Minerva and Albus could manage to get away from the evening meal in the Great Hall.

When the food was ready, they all sat around the circular table in the dining room that was off of Albus and Minerva's quarters.

"Are you going to Professor Slughorn's club this Friday?" Katherine asked Jacob and Alice. She had gotten her invitation shortly after her talk with Hagrid, and was excited to be included in the Slug Club.

"The Slug Club?" Jacob asked, "I'm pretty sure I will. What about you, Alice?"

"I don't know yet," Alice replied. She'd forgotten about the invitation until now, and had not gained any interest in the matter.

"It sounds like fun," Katherine said brightly.

"Horace was very excited about the whole thing," Albus said, smiling slightly.

"It seems to me as simply another reason for students to be out of bed after hours," Minerva commented with a frown. However, upon seeing the sad look on Katherine's face, she added, "But a little fun never hurt anyone, I suppose."

"Besides," Katherine said cheerfully, "If Alice goes, there'll be a prefect there, anyway."

Albus smiled to himself. If Alice had not seemed very excited about the Slug Club, Katherine certainly had enough enthusiasm for the two of them.

* * *

On Tuesday Alice brought up the topic of the Slug Club with Molly. They had just exited Slughorn's class and were making their way towards the Charms classroom.

Alice wondered aloud, "By what standards is he handpicking Hogwart's most outstanding students, I wonder? It could turn out to be a nice evening, or it could be Slughorn sitting around with whom he considers to be the Hogwarts elitists for two hours."

Molly laughed, "The Hogwart's elitists?"

"You know what I mean," Alice replied, "Are you going to go?"

"No," Molly smiled, "Arthur asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him on Friday. Alice, it's"

"A date?" Alice finished her friend's sentence, the Slug Club long forgotten.

"Yes," Molly said happily.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Alice said as they entered the Charms classroom, "When did he ask you?"

"Last night," Molly replied excitedly, "I can't wait for Friday! Arthur won't tell me where we're going to dinner - he says he wants to keep it a surprise."

Alice smiled as they took seats. They were early, and class would not start for a few minutes, "That's so romantic."

"I know it is," Molly replied, "But I'm dying of curiosity. Alice?"

"Yes?"

"He would tell you if you asked, I'm sure, and then you could tell me."

"You're not serious, are you?"

"Completely. I'm going crazy wondering," Molly replied, grinning, "Alice, please? If you don't and I do end up really dying from curiosity, you'd feel awfully guilty."

Alice laughed, "Alright, alright. We can't have you dying before Friday night."

"Thank you so much!" Molly replied gratefully, "Speaking of Friday, have you decided of you're going to Slughorn's club?"

"I suppose I will," Alice said with a sigh, "Katherine's pretty jazzed up about the entire thing."

Class started at that moment, and Alice temporarily forgot about the Slug Club, her attention having been taken over by cheering charms. Come Friday night, however, cheering charms would be the last thing on her mind.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Author's Notes: **I've started school and I think Chemistry will result in the breaking of my brain. Anyway, there will be about four more chapters to this story, and I have ideas for a sequal swimming around in my head, so stay tuned.

**Disclaimer:** Anything recognizable from Harry Potter belongs to the great JK Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

On Friday at ten minutes till seven Alice entered Professor Slughorn's classroom. She opened the door to find Slughorn dressed in lavish green robes and a plethora of different foods: crystallized pineapple, chocolate covered strawberries, and what seemed to be cheese puffs. Her siblings were already there, and she also spotted Tiberius McLaggen, Ambrosius Flume, Fabian Prewett, Greta Catchlove, and Lucius Malfoy.

"Alice!" Professor Slughorn exclaimed jovially upon seeing her, "You made it. Excellent! I particularly wanted you and Duke here, which is why I made sure the evening wouldn't clash with your prefect patrol schedules. Do try a cheese puff, they're wonderful."

Alice, however, hadn't heard much of Slughorn's welcome beyond the mention of Duke's name. Right after Slughorn had mentioned him, Duke seemingly appeared out of nowhere. But he hadn't appeared out of nowhere, he had been there along, standing by the table with the strawberries.

Alice silently rebuked herself for being surprised at Duke's presence - if he wasn't at the meeting of a club consisting of Hogwart's most outstanding students, handpicked by Slughorn himself, then who would be? His presence at the Slug Club was inevitable, but this realization had not come to Alice until she had seen him there.

_Wonderful_, Alice thought to herself, _Just like Slughorn's cheese puffs._

"Hello Alice," Greta said brightly. Greta was sweet eccentric girl who was mainly Jacob's friend, but the two girls had had their share of conversations over the years.

"Hi Greta" Alice replied. It was then that she noticed Greta's earrings - little half moons surrounded by dangling silver stars, "I like your earrings."

"Thank you," Greta replied, "My great grandmother -"

Greta, however, was interrupted by Professor Slughorn, who gathered everyone's attention by tapping the side of his goblet with his spoon.

"Good evening, everybody! I'd like to welcome you all to the very first meeting of a little idea of mine, something called the Slug Club," Slughorn began, "As I said on the invitation, we have among us Hogwart's most outstanding students. Not only outstanding academics - gathered here tonight are Hogwart's most privileged achievers!

Now, let me begin with the introductions," Slughorn continued, "We have Fabian, the Gryffindor quidditch captain; Tiberius, one of my post talented sixth year potions students - incidentally, he's also the Gryffindor quidditch team's keeper; Greta Catchlove, the writer of those marvelous short stories for The Quill."

Slughorn soon finished his introductions, and people began meandering around the classroom. Jacob joined Greta and Alice, and the three of them were in the middle of a conversation.

"What I can't figure out," Greta said when Slughorn was out of earshot, "Is why I'm here."

"Didn't you hear him, Greta?" Jacob asked, smiling, "You write those marvelous short stories for The Quill."

Greta also smiled, "You know what I mean, Jacob. Everyone here, save for myself, has some sort of important connection - parents at the Ministry, or elsewhere."

"Yes, I know," Jacob was still smiling, "But maybe he really likes your stories."

Greta laughed, "Gideon's rubbing off on you."

Suddenly Alice felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around, only to end up facing Duke.

"Could I have a word with you?" he asked her.

"Alright," she replied hesitantly. Since their argument a few weeks ago, they had barely exchanged two words; patrolling nights had been incredibly silent. She was still hurt about what he had said about Molly and Arthur.

They left Jacob and Greta, and Duke led her to a corridor off of Slughorn's classroom.

"So," Duke said brightly, "Lovely party, eh?"

"Yes, it is, I suppose," Alice replied.

"I'll get to my point, Dumbl - Alice. Our conversation a few weeks ago, the one regarding your friends, wasn't one of my more thoughtful moments."

"No, it wasn't," Alice stated.

"I'm not fond this subsequent silence, since I thought we preformed our duties as prefects much more proficiently when we were speaking. I also do regret upsetting you, so I would like to offer you my genuine apologies," Duke said sincerely

Alice thought. Duke's apology had surprised her, because she had doubted he would ever go against something he had seemingly felt so strongly about. He had just done so, however. Furthermore, his apology was one of the most genuine she had ever received. Normally Duke's eloquent speeches irked Alice - it seemed to her as if he spoke in such an articulate and beautiful fashion to embody the fact that thought he was above everyone else. This time, however, she didn't mind it. In fact, she had rather liked his well expressed apology and particular word choice. It made his apology seem as if it were truly from the heart.

As she stood lost in thought, Duke looked at her. Alice was surprised to see the expression that was on his features. Was he nervous?

Alice smiled, "You're forgiven. That whole business is behind us now."

Duke mirrored her smile, "I'm glad, then."

"How do you like the book?" Alice asked suddenly.

"The book?" Duke had an uncertain expression on his face.

"The one I lent you that day," Alice said, "_Othello_."

"Ah," Duke replied, "It's enjoyable. Very much so. Shakespeare was a clever fellow, to say the least."

Alice nodded in agreement, "I really liked the storyline. What Iago did to Othello was atrocious, of course. It's terribly awful to betray somebody who trusted you like he did, but it was interesting to watch it all unfold."

"Yes," Duke concurred, "I'm nearly finished reading it, so I'll be returning it soon."

Alice replied, "It's fine, take your time."

Duke cleared his throat, "Do you have any engagements for tomorrow, Alice?"

"Tomorrow? No, I'm free."

"Do you want….would you like to join in Hogsmeade?"

Alice smiled, "Yes."

It was at that moment that Tiberius McLaggen swaggered into the corridor, looking as if he had one butter beer too many to drink, "Oi! Alice, Duke! C'mon, parties' in here!" He went back into Slughorn's classroom.

Duke, in a rare display of humor, said, "We'd better go, then. A party without prefects is obviously a dreadfully dull one."

Alice laughed, "I should think so."

As they reentered Slughorn's classroom, their hands touched.

* * *

The next morning, Saturday, Alice woke up and got ready for Hogsmeade. She wore a black skirt and sweater that was the same shade of green as her eyes. As she finished brushing her hair, she glanced at the clock and headed towards the common room - she knew from experience that Duke despised tardiness.

In the common room, she ran into Molly.

"Hi Alice," she said brightly.

"Hey," Alice replied, "How was Madam Puddifoot's?"

The biggest smile formed across Molly's features, "Oh, it was wonderful. Absolutely lovely. Arthur was just so sweet. I was sad when it ended, but he promised we'd come back again."

"That's great, Molls."

"How was the Slug Club?"

Alice smiled, "Better than expected."

"Well, I'm glad," Molly replied, "So, what time did you want to go to the library?"

"The library?" Alice looked unsure.

"You were going to help me and Arthur with the Transfiguration homework," Molly reminded her friend.

"Oh, Molly, I completely forgot!" Alice explained, "I'm sorry. I promised Duke I'd go to Hogsmeade with him today."

"Duke?" Molly asked, surprised, "I thought the two of you were fighting."

"No, we made up at Slughorn's party," Alice explained, "But I doubt we'll be gone for the entire day, I'll help you and Arthur in the afternoon when we get back. I'll meet you tow in the library around four o'clock. That's a promise."

"Ok. Have a good time, then," Molly replied, looking slighted.

* * *

Alice and Duke met in front of the Great Hall. Together, they walked towards the path that led to Hogsmeade.

"Last night was very enjoyable," Duke said as they entered the village.

"It was, wasn't it?" Alice replied, "Funny, I was thinking it would end up being the opposite: horrible. The only reason I went was because Katherine was really excited about the whole thing."

"Where shall we go first?" asked Duke.

Alice thought for a moment, "How about the bookstore?"

Duke agreed, and they walked towards the said destination.

"This is my favorite area in all of Hogsmeade," Duke commended as he and Alice walked in between the literature filled shelves. The shelves towered over Duke and Alice like massively tall trees.

"Yeah, I like it too," Alice replied cheerfully, "But if I had to chose a favorite place I'd say The Three Broomsticks."

"Also a pleasant spot," Duke agreed.

"You know," Alice said, "You never did answer my question from a few weeks ago."

"What question are you referring to?"

"Why are you so concerned with making sure that we do our prefect duties perfectly?"

"Oh, um," Duke began, looking flustered. Alice immediately wished that she hadn't brought the subject up again, and felt bad for upsetting him.

"We don't have to talk about it," Alice said gently, desperately wishing she had left the subject alone.

"No, it's fine," Duke had composed himself, "You've asked about it twice - you're obviously very curious."

"Yes, but curiosity killed the cat, and my mum is a cat in her animagus form," Alice said in a rush, "And I can't stand the thought of her dying."

Duke started at her for a few seconds. A slight smiled formed on his face, "You realize you sounded completely ridiculous just then, don't you?"

Alice mirrored his smile, "Yeah. That happens to me all to often." Her smile faded, and her tone became serious, "Really, Duke. I'm sorry I brought it up. You don't have to answer."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Alice. I was just surprised earlier. No, actually, surprised isn't the word I'm looking for. The answer to your question - I've never discussed it with anyone before."

"Oh," Alice replied, thoughtfully.

"The thing is…I believe my actions are caused by…What I mean to say is, my family…" Duke's voice trailed off, and he looked sad.

Alice took his hand in her own and squeezed it.

"My parents will only accept the very best from me," Duke explained, his voice shaking, "If I get a ninety-eight percent on a test, they get angry and say it should have been a one hundred. If I'm less than perfect in any way, the fact that I tried is insignificant to them. Anything less than one hundred percent perfect is wrong an unacceptable. If I somehow mess up this prefect job, Alice, I would have absolutely no desire to see their reactions."

"Oh, Duke," Alice said softly, still holding his hand.

"All of that, undoubtedly, contributes to my fixation with perfection," Duke said sadly.

"I think you're very close to being perfect," Alice swallowed, "But Duke, even if you were nowhere near perfection, it would be good enough for me. I'd still have feelings for you either way."

Duke leaned in, making the space between them disappear. He kissed her in the bookstore, in between the tall ancient bookshelves, and she kissed back.

* * *

That afternoon, Jacob on Hogwarts grounds. It was a sunny day, just like in his daydream. He had resolved to tell Gideon how he felt, but Jacob was learning that was that was something easier said than done. He had made several fruitless attempts in the past few days to tell Gideon of his feelings. During those times, Jacob felt the air leaving him. He would freeze, and it was as if he was paralyzed with fear. Jacob didn't understand it: he could talk to Gideon about nearly everything else, so why was this so difficult?

_Love was a confusing thing_, Jacob reflected.

He sat for a few more moments in perplexed silence. Then it came to him: it was surely the best was to do this. Why hadn't he thought of it before? He and Gideon were both writers; it made sense to do it this way.

Jacob jumped up, laughed, and set off to write a love letter to Gideon Prewett.

* * *

Arthur glanced at the clock in the Hogwarts library.

"It's six o'clock, Molly. I don't think Alice is coming," he said solemnly.

"It's not six already, is it? She promised she'd be here two hours ago," Molly looked a little angry, "If something came up, she could've owled us."

"I know, and she should've, but it's no use sitting her and waiting anymore. Besides, these chairs are terribly uncomfortable," Arthur replied, referring to the hard back chairs that he and his girlfriend had occupied for the last two hours.

"Alright, let's go too the common room, then," Molly said.

As they were walking towards the portrait of the Fat Lady, Arthur whispered in Molly's ear, "Cheer up, Mollywobbles. Alice has never bailed out on us before, so she must have a valid reason this time."

Molly smiled. She was still angry at Alice, but Arthur could never failed to put her in cheerful spirits.

* * *

At six thirty Alice entered the Gryffindor common room. Molly, reading a book by the fireplace, was the only other person there.

She glanced up from her book to find Alice sitting in the armchair next to her.

"Where were you?" Molly asked, agitated.

"In Hogsmeade," Alice replied, unaware of Molly's current agitated state, "Duke and I were at the bookstore for awhile, and then we went to The Three Broomsticks."

Alice left out the new development of her relationship with Duke. Molly would sense that something had happened and pry the information out of her. Besides, Alice worried that saying it out loud would somehow simplify it, and make it seem like it was less than it was.

"Well, you could've owled and told us that you were going to be late, at least," Molly said, not loking up from her book.

"We didn't have plans, did we?" Alice asked. She had a bad feeling that she was forgetting something, and she was indeed. All of a sudden, it came to her: she was supposed to help Molly and Arthur with the Transfiguration homework. She had promised that she would meet them in the library, "Oh, Molly, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Molly said cooly, and her tone told Alice that it was anything but, "It's perfectly fine, Alice."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Author's Notes: **Sorry it's been so long! School's been pretty time consuming. Anyway, a few more chapters and then we'll get some denouement.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Harry Potter, JK Rowling never would've said 'No! Not everyone falls in love with someone else!' in response to a certain question.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

_Thump Thump. Thump thump. _

Jacob could only hear his heartbeat. He had been sitting alone in Professor Merrythought's classroom for what seemed like ten minutes, but he wasn't sure. Jacob was a confused mess. He knew that his romantic feelings for Gideon were real and true. In that regard, he did not regret giving Gideon the letter at all. Jacob remembered the act clearly. He had spotted Gideon in the library, reading a tattered copy _Wuthering Heights_.

"Hi," Jacob had said as he approached Gideon.

"Hey Jake," had Gideon replied, giving him a lopsided grin, "Guess what I'm doing?"

"Well," Jacob had answered, "I'd say you're reading a book, but that'd be too easy. What exactly are you doing, Gid?"

"I am reading Molly's favorite book, which I took from her without asking," Gideon had said mischievously.

Jacob had laughed.

"Gideon? I have something for you."

Gideon had looked at Jacob, who gave him an envelope. Inside was a letter (although Jacob thought it had ended up being more like a poem than a letter), telling Gideon how he felt.

"Read it and then, erm, tell me what you think," Jacob had said before fleeing the library.

Jacob groaned in Professor Merythought's classroom. _Read it and tell me what you think. _Jacob chastised himself. Was there a less romantic way to give someone a love letter? Also, he had jeopardized his friendship with Gideon. Jacob was a fool when it came to romance - he knew that much was true.

While Jacob was criticizing himself, the door to the classroom opened. Jacob turned around, ready to apologize to Professor Merrythought for loitering in her room. The person at the door, however, was not Professor Merrythought. Standing in the doorway was Gideon; Jacob's letter was in one of his hands, and a smile was one his face.

"Jake," He said happily.

"Hey," Jacob replied softly. He got up and walked towards Gideon and the door.

"I've been looking all over for you," Gideon swallowed, "Your letter - I agree with everything you said. Two hundred percent."

Jacob grinned as Gideon said those words: it was as if a balloon filled with happiness rather than helium had exploded inside of him.

"I wish I could've said it as eloquently as you di-"

Jacob leaned toward Gideon until the spaces between their bodies was no more and kissed him. He kissed Gideon's pink lips, and while Jacob's hands were in Gideon's unruly hair, Gideon reciprocated the kiss.

* * *

Bartholomew was ecstatic. He had finally done it! He gave a joyous laugh. Fourteen years of hard work had finally paid off! He had done it; he had overcome all of his mistakes and finished the potion for the curse. The curse was done! His cousin's revenge was complete at last. That Albus Dumbledore would get what he deserved.

He went downstairs to check on his Aunt Bathilda. She required constant supervision since she was mad with grief. His joy was slightly lessened when he saw her: bedridden and oblivious to everything around her. She coughed and gave him a curious stare.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Bartholomew," He replied sadly, "Don't you remember me, Auntie?"

"Auntie? Am I your aunt?" She sounded pleasantly surprised, "I never knew I was an aunt!"

_You're so much more than just an aunt to me_, Bartholomew sorrowfully thought to himself, _You raised me after my parent's death. You've been my mother. Oh Aunt Bathilda, don't you remember?_

"Who are you?" She demanded suddenly, "Why are you in my bedroom?"

"I'm your nephew," Bartholomew said. He hated that damn Albus Dumbledore all over again. That wicked man had robbed Bartholomew of his family. First Gellert, then Aunt Bathilda. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. That was why Gellert was a genius for dreaming up the curse: it would rob Albus Dumbledore of his family. Why should the Bagshots be disconnected and alone while the Dumbledores lived happily ever after? It was all wrong, but the curse would fix that. Everything would be right all in good time.

* * *

"Knight to A-5," Duke commanded the chess piece.

"Bishop to B-4," Alice made her move.

Duke studied the situation on the chess board, "Clever move, Alice. I'll give you that."

Alice grinned.

"I suppose you'll be taking back what you said earlier, then?" She asked playfully, "What was it exactly? My playing will be so superior to yours that after the game ends you'll be picking up your dignity in little pieces?"

Duke laughed, "A clever remark on my part, if I do say so myself. And no, I will not be taking it back."

Alice's eyes twinkled, "We'll see about that."

Arthur looked uncomfortable; he was definitely the third wheel in the common room. It hadn't started out that way. Earlier, he and Alice had been doing Charms homework together. Then Duke had appeared, seemingly out of the blue, and he and Alice had begun to talk. There was something familiar and friendly in their banter; it wasn't their arguing of a few weeks ago. Noticing the glances and smiles they shared, he had wondered if they were going out. Now, nearly a half hour later as the two of them played chess, he was nearly sure that they were. He could tell from the was she smiled at him: it was the way Molly smiled at him. He could tell from the way Duke put his hand on her arm: it was he way that he put his hand on Molly's arm.

Having finished his Charms homework, Arthur exited the common room, unnoticed by Alice and her boyfriend. Or at least, Arthur thought, her probable boyfriend. He wondered if Molly knew anything about this.

Arthur walked down the corridors, eventually coming to the Great Hall where he spotted Molly. He was pleased to note that she was wearing the scarf that he'd given her. He remembered who had advised him to give it to her and was saddened: Alice was acting different. Between forgetting them last night and ignoring him this morning, it was as if she did not have him for him and Molly anymore.

Arthur approached Molly's spot on the bench, and she was still oblivious to him. Arthur thought that the book she was reading must be a good one. He crept up behind her and planted a kiss on her curly red hair.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed happily.

"Hi Mollywobbles," He replied, grinning.

She blushed, "Don't let anyone else hear that name."

"Don't worry, nobody's around," He replied. He gestured to what she had been reading, "Good book?"

She nodded, "My favorite. I couldn't find my copy, so I borrowed this from the library."

"Molls? I've got a question."

"Ok."

"It's about Alice."

Molly's happy expression vanished upon hearing that name. Arthur continued.

"Are she and Duke together?"

"Not to my knowledge, but then again, how would I know?" Molly said angrily, "I'm only her best friend, but she forgot about me for six hours yesterday. Why should I be surprised if she hasn't told me about this? I mean, if they are together."

Arthur nodded meekly. He was crazy bout Molly, but sometimes her anger scared him. After a few moments, Molly spoke again.

"Merlin," Molly's formerly angry faced was now surprised, "Arthur they _are_. It explains it - that's why she forgot about us yesterday. They were in Hogsmeade together. _And_, I bet he was at that Slughorn's party."

"Thought so," Arthur replied, "They were playing Chess together in the common room, and you can tell they're crazy about each other."

Molly's eyes narrowed, "I thought you two were hanging out? You were when I left."

"We were before he sat next to her."

"Well," Molly said sharply, "Some friend she's acting like."

* * *

"Jacob?" Katherine approached her brother, caring her first year Charm's book, "Could you help me with something?"

"Sure," Jacob said cheerfully.

"Okay," Katherine set the book down on the table that they sat at in the Great Hall, "I don't understand what Professor Flitwick's assigned for homework."

Jacob read the passage that Katherine had pointed to and frowned, "Charms is my worst subject, Katherine. I bet Alice could explain this stuff better than I could."

Katherine looked despondent, "She's busy. She and Duke are in the middle of talking about some book. She said to ask you, but I guess I'll go ask Mum. Or Flitwick."

As his sister left the Great Hall, Jacob reflected on how his other sister had been so busy with her boyfriend. It was strange: he and Alice used to be close, but now he was growing apart from her. All she ever wanted to do was spend time with Duke. Jacob didn't like this; he wanted his family to be one big happy group. If was Jacob's belief that a person needed his or her family, so he knew that Alice's distancing away from everyone couldn't be a good thing.

* * *

"No, really, Jake, that letter was beautiful," Gideon grinned a week later, "Of course, I tried to tell you that earlier, but you interrupted me."

Jacob blushed and smiled.

"But I'm not complaining about that, mind you. I'm just saying, you really do have a way with words."

"You're just as talented as I am," Jacob told Gideon, their fingers intertwined.

They stayed like that for awhile, sitting on the common room couch with their hands touching. Jacob sighed.

"What's wrong?" Gideon asked immediately upon hearing Jacob's sigh. He could tell that it hadn't been a happy one.

"Do you ever feel like you took things for granted? You'd always assumed they'd be there, and then one day you wake up and then suddenly it dawns on you that they're not?"

"I have. What's gone, Jake?"

"My family. I mean, obviously they're all still here physically, but we're not as close as we used to be."

"No?"

Jacob shook his head, "Mum's incredibly busy, and something's bothering Dad. And Alice, well. You've seen her and Duke, completely lost in each other. She only has time for him. It's as if she's forgotten about the rest of us. Merlin, I hope we aren't like that."

"We're not. I mean, we spend a decent amount of time together, but we make time for everybody else, too," Gideon replied, "And Jacob, the thing about ties of blood and loyalty is that no mater hard a person pulls, they just don't break."


	10. Chapter Ten

**Author's Notes:** This isn't my favorite chapter, but Chapter Eleven will be pretty action packed. The curse finally begins to take effect.

**Disclaimer:** All things Harry Potter related belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Albus Dumbledore sat on the queen sized bed that he shared with Minerva. He had in his lap a book, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, but he could not focus on it. Whenever he tried to read his mind wandered to a different subject: the past. While he tried to read about creatures mentioned in his book, memories kept coming to him. These memories were of days long ago when Aberforth, Ariana, and he had been children.

Minerva entered the bedroom, sat down at the vanity, and let her hair down from its bun, "You're up late."

"The same could be said of you, my dear."

Minerva yawned, "Never again will I assign essays for all my classes that are due on the same day. Really, Albus, what was I thinking? I've been grading since just after supper. I'm still not done, and it's nearly two a.m."

Albus looked surprise, "Is it really that late? Or rather, is it really that early?"

Minerva nodded, "We both lost track of time, I suppose."

She got into bed and stole the book's place in his lap. He put his arms around her.

"Two of our children are in love," Minerva said softly.

Albus smiled, "I know. I had a feeling our Jacob and Gideon would end up together."

"I'm glad they found their way to each other," Minerva's face suddenly held a worried expression, "I worry about Alice, though."

"Why's that?"

Minerva sighed, "I don't know if it's the fact that I'm protective of my little girl or it's Duke that makes me worry. Gideon and Jacob…they've always gotten along so easily. Duke and Alice…I don't know what it is, Albus, but something makes me worry that their relationship will have a good amount of drama in it."

"Love isn't always easy," Albus changed the subject, "I'm going to go see Aberforth tomorrow."

"Oh," Minerva said, "Albus, is it still bothering you? The past?"

He nodded, "I've got to try to make it right."

"You will," Minerva reassured him, snuggling under the blankets.

"I hope you're right. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Albus."

* * *

"Alice?" Arthur asked in a hopeful manner the next day when they were walking down the corridors. It was a rare moment when Molly was not with him and Duke was not with her.

"Yes?"

"Are you busy tonight? I was going to hang out under the big tree near the lake, presuming it doesn't rain. Want to come?"

"Sure," Alice smiled at him.

"Really?" Arthur asked, pleasantly surprised. He hated that the two of them and Molly seemed to be splitting apart. They had been best friends since they were eleven, and Arthur thought it was silly that they were letting arguments ruin five years of friendship. He wanted the three of them to spend time together as a group again.

"Really," Alice confirmed. She missed spending time with Arthur.

"Great," Arthur said, grinning.

* * *

"Good morning, Aberforth," Albus said as he entered The Hog's Head. Once again, he was the only person in the building, save for his brother.

"Hello, Albus," the bartender greeted his brother, "Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you," Albus replied. He hesitated, "Aberforth? Do you remember the day we went to the lake?"

Aberforth smiled, "With Ari and our parents? How could I forget? That was such a fun day, Albus. We were all swimming, even Mum and Dad."

"Ariana made herself a necklace out of daisies ," Albus recollected.

"That was a good day. Remember Mother's Day that year?"

Albus smiled, "The one where Ari and I tried to knit Mum a scarf and you attempted to cook dinner?"

Aberforth laughed. "That was a disaster if there ever way one!"

The two brothers continued smiling and recalling days past for a long time. They both knew that the rift between the two of them was not quite fixed, but was not as large as it once had been.

* * *

That evening, Alice was the first one to get to the tree. She sat down, grateful for the lack of rain. Given that it was an evening at start of October, the nice weather really was lucky. She wondered what she and Arthur would talk about. Muggle music, maybe. The Rolling Stones had released a new album a few weeks ago.

Molly and Arthur had just exited the common room. Molly wore the scarf that Arthur had given to her. She carried her Transfiguration book in one hand, and held Arthur's hand with the other.

"Now, Molly," Arthur began nervously, "If I tell you something, do you promise not to be angry?"

"Alright," Molly said good-naturedly as they stepped outside. She glanced around and saw Alice under the tree. She frowned, "What's she doing there?"

"That's that I was going to tell you," Arthur said, "I invited Alice along."

"Oh, Arthur Weasley, you _didn't_!"

Arthur nodded, "I thought that if we had an evening, we could fix whatever it is that's driving us apart. She _is_ our friend, Molly."

Molly agreed, seeing how much it meant to Arthur.

"Fine," She muttered, "She can make herself useful and help us with this Transfiguration homework."

Arthur smiled, "Hi Alice!"

Alice looked up, "Hey Arth -"

Alice stopped mid-reply upon seeing Molly.

_What was she doing here? Arthur didn't say anything about Molly coming. _Alice wondered, _Did he?_

_Wonderful_, Molly thought bitterly.

_Lovely_, Alice thought bitterly.

Arthur sat down next to Alice, oblivious to the tension that the air held.

Alice stole a glance at Molly. She was looking straight ahead, making it clear that she wouldn't be talking to Alice anytime soon.

_Fine_, Alice thought to herself.

Out loud, she said, "Have you heard the new Stones album, Arthur?

"Out of Our Heads? Yeah. 'I'm Free' is my favorite."

"That's a good one, but I like 'Heart of Stone' best."

"Alice, if you're going to be here all night, could you explain this to me?" Molly interrupted angrily, pointing at her Transfiguration book.

"Why is it," Alice replied with a fury that matched Molly's, "That every time we're together, I have to play teacher?"

"I never said -"

"Does it ever occur to you that there are things I would rather do than reiterate things my mother has already explained in class? I would much rather be with Duke or at The Slug Club. Or with Duke _at _The Slug Club!"

"You obviously would, seeing as it caused you to bail out on your two best friends!" Molly shouted.

"Well," Alice said through clenched teeth, "I suppose that means you and Arthur will have to find a new Transfiguration tutor!"

"Fine! You were never very good at explaining things, anyway!" Molly spat.

Alice angrily stomped away, leaving behind a furious Molly and a forlorn Arthur. She entered the Great Hall to find Duke reading. Upon seeing her, Duke smiled, until he saw the upset look on her face. She sat down next to him.

"Alice," he asked, "What's bothering you?"

"You were right," Alice told Duke, "About Molly and Arthur. I just argued with Molly, who was being ridiculously crabby, and that helped me to come to a realization. Do you remember what you told me that day?"

"You and I could take the universe apart and put it together again."

Alice nodded, "I can't be friends with them for awhile, but I'm finally ready to do that. Reinvent the universe with you, I mean."

Duke took her hand and kissed it, "I'm glad."

* * *

An hour later, after they had finished patrolling, Duke and Alice entered the Gryffindor common room. Duke headed towards the boy's dormitories and Alice took a seat next to Jacob.

"Hi," Jacob greeted her, "You know, Molly was pretty mad at you earlier."

Alice sighed, "Well, I'm not too happy with her, either."

"You've been friends for so long," Jacob advised, "Don't let some trivial argument ruin that."

"It's not trivial," Alice said sullenly.

"Well, I'm sure it's not worth losing each other's friendship over."

"Have you always been such a know-it-all, or am I just noticing it now?" Alice demanded.

Jacob shook his head, "You haven't always been this unpleasant. That's all Duke's doing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You were a nice person and a loyal friend before you started going out with him," Jacob shook his head, "I can't stand him, Alice. He's like Iago from that Shakespeare play he's reading."

"He is not! Iago is a vile and cunning toe rag."

"You just described your boyfriend. He's vile and unpleasant to anyone who isn't in The Slug Club. And Merlin knows he's cunning. He's probably only going out with you since he thinks it'll increase his chances of being Head Boy in a few years!"

Alice looked as if she had been slapped in the face. She turned and went up to the girl's dormitories, leaving Jacob alone in the common room.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Author's Notes: **In my outline for the story, this chapter was longer, but it seemed like I was cramming too many pivital events into one chapter. Plus, I thought the last bit of this chapter was a good way to end it. It'll try to update again soon.

**Disclaimer: **Oh, man. If I was the great JK Rowling, I wouldn't have semester finals in two and a half weeks. Yikes!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

At two o'clock in the morning, Albus yawned. He had just woken up from his slumber due to a tapping noise on the window, which he presumed was an owl. He glanced to his left and saw that Minerva was still sleeping soundly. He got out of bed, put on his half-moon spectacles, and walked towards the window.

It was indeed an owl. He opened the window to find Netta, Minerva's mother's bird.

"Hello, Netta," he greeted her. She hooted urgently in response and shoved a letter in his face.

Albus opened the letter and began to read its contents.

"Oh no," he said.

* * *

Bartholomew stood over his cauldron that held the potion in it. He had originally planned to recite the incantation and allow the curse to finally take effect later in the morning, but his excitement over the whole thing had let to insomnia. Here he was, on the brink of fulfilling his cousin Gellert's plan. This would be the best moment of his life. He began to recite the incantation.

"_Eyes of a beetle and roots of a daisy_

_Blood of a dragon and leafs of a mandrake _

_All ye ingredients of the bazagra curse_

_Rise and take effect, rise and take effect_

_Make the accursed miserable_

_Never to smile again"_

Miles away, Katherine Dumbledore's stomach began to ache.

* * *

It was nearly four o'clock in the morning. Albus sat in an armchair, watching Minerva sleep. She looked so peaceful, and he couldn't bear to break that. How would he be able to inform his wife of the contents of the letter from her mother? It would surely snatch the tranquility from his dear Minerva's face.

Minerva stirred.

"Albus Dumbledore, what in Merlin's name are you doing up so early on a Saturday?" She demanded groggily.

"Min…" He began, uncertain of how to continue. He stood up, cursed himself for not thinking of a coherent way to tell her if what had happened in the two hours that he had been sitting in that blasted armchair for.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Minerva asked, having picked up on the sadness in her husband's voice. She was out of bed in an instant, standing next to him, "Is it one of the children? Oh Merlin, did something happen to one of the children?"

"No," Albus replied, "They're fine. Love, I don't know how to tell you this."

He walked to the windowsill, and picked up the letter that Netta had brought. He gave it to Minerva. After reading a few sentences, she dropped the letter and a cry of anguish left her lips. She fell crying into Albus' arms. He held her tightly.

Minerva's eyes fell to the floor, glued to the letter that told her of her father's death.

* * *

"And we'll have to wake the children up shortly," Minerva said, listing off what needed to be done in the aftermath of her father's death, "We still have to pack, and I need to find people to fill in for my classes while we're gone. Horace once said he'd love to be headmaster for a day, so I hope that's still the case, and -"

"Minerva, my dear, please don't worry so much. These things will get done," Albus told her.

"But, Albus, it's so much to do in so little time," Minerva sounded stressed.

"I've already talked to Horace and found replacements for your classes," Albus reassured her.

"And Min, busying yourself won't take any of the pain of his death away. Believe me, I tried with Ariana's death. You may be too wrapped up in work to feel sadness, but it doesn't eliminate it. It makes it all pile up, rather, and you're faced with it when you drop the busy façade. It's much worse that way, my love."

"Albus, I..I," Minerva was shaking, "_Father!_"

She began to cry, and Albus took her into his arms again.

"I didn't even know he was ill. It's so…so sudden. One day he was alive, and the next he isn't. Albus," Minerva hiccupped, "I don't know if I can face this."

"You'll never have to face this alone, love. I'll be by your side the entire time. Always, Minerva."

"I know, and for that I'm grateful," she sniffled, and he tucked a stand of black hair behind her ear.

"You'll get through this," he reassured her.

"I know."

* * *

Alice stared at her hands miserably with a forlorn expression on her face. She couldn't believe that her grandfather was dead. She knew that she hadn't been spending much time with her family recently, but had she really been so unattached that she had been completely unaware that her grandfather had been ill?

She wanted to talk to Jacob, but she assumed he was still angry with her. He and Katherine had gone off somewhere, probably comforting each other. Soon they would all apparate to her grandmother's house.

Alice was restless. She had tried studying, but she was too upset to focus. She wondered where Duke was. It wasn't like him to sleep late, even on a weekend, but it was still early. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the boys' dormitories' stairs. She wondered who it was, hoping for Duke. She looked up to discover that her wish had been granted.

"Good morn - Alice, what's wrong?" Duke exclaimed upon seeing the tears streaming down her face.

She stood up, so that she stood next to him.

"My grandfather died," she said sadly, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, Alice…I'm so sorry."

They stood in silence for a few minutes.

"I didn't even know he had been sick. I -"

"Alice! We're all waiting for you," Jacob interrupted, sounding upset. Neither Duke nor Alice had noticed him enter the common room.

"Bye," Alice whispered to Duke.

* * *

Jacob was upset. He was simultaneously sad, angry, and stressed. He didn't often get that way; he always tried to put things in perspective, and consequently, nothing bothered him much. The Charms test (or whatever it was that he had been worried about) would still be next week, but he could study and do well.

This, however, was different. His grandfather was dead and nothing could bring him back. William McGonagall had been Jacob's namesake (his middle name being William), and the two had always been close. He would never be able to talk to his grandfather again, or show him a poem that he had written.

It was not only that, but it felt as is his family was falling apart. Alice spent nearly all her time with Duke. Jacob was sure she hated him for what he had said about Duke the other night. Now their grandfather was dead. After they had heard the news, he and Katherine had spend the morning together. She had looked pale. He wondered if she had caught a cold, or if she was just upset. He hadn't had much time to wonder about Katherine, however; shortly after he had noticed his sister's lack of color it was time to apparate to their grandparents - or rather, their grandmother's - home. Jacob wished that he would wake up and realize that this whole morning had been a nightmare. The real nightmare, however, was that this was reality.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Author's Notes:** The penultimate chapter is here! Merry Christmas!

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is Jo's, not mine. I'm just borrowing Albus and the rest of her characters that've appeared in this story, which you undoubtedly know by now.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

"Here, Mum, let me finish those for you," Minerva said upon entering the kitchen of her He childhood home. She indicated to the pile of dishes that her mother was washing.

"Don't worry about it, dear," Minerva's mother, Aileana, replied, "I'm nearly finished, and there is oddly relaxing about washing dishes the muggle way. But you can dry them off as I hand them to you, if you wish."

"Alright," Minerva began doing her task.

"You know, considering that all of your uncles were there, I was pleasantly surprised that there were no feuds at the funeral."

"Mum, I didn't even know he was sick," Minerva said.

"It was so sudden," Aileana replied, her voice shaking, "It started as a harmless cold...but then it escalated to pneumonia."

"Oh, Mum," Minerva said sadly.

"He led a good, long, successful life. He was a renowned aruor for so many years," Aileana said of William, "He was so proud of you, and your three little ones."

Minerva nodded; she and her mother finished washing and drying the dishes, the memory of William still alive in both of their minds.

* * *

Bartholomew was reading _The Daily Prophet _when he came across an article about the death of William McGonagall. The article mentioned that the Dumbledore family had traveled to Scotland for the funeral and would be there for a few days. Bartholomew had an idea. He had worked so hard on the curse for so many years; perhaps he could go to Scotland, spy on the Dumbledore's, and see the effects of the curse first hand. Yes, it was a grand idea! He could have a neighbor look after Aunt Bathilda, and he would be able to see the effects of his handiwork first hand. He smiled, because things truly seemed to be going his way as of late.

* * *

Minerva stepped into the backyard to find Albus there. He took her hand in his.

"How are you feeling, love?" he asked sincerely.

Minerva sighed, "Better than I was before, but I still miss him."

"That's understandable."

Minerva nodded, "Let's go for a walk."

Albus and Minerva walked through the huge, beautiful backyard, their fingers intertwined. They stepped in silence, but it was it wasn't an awkward one. After seventeen years of marriage, sometimes they didn't need to talk. Sometimes they needed to just be. Awhile later, however, Minerva spoke.

"This whole experience of loosing him has made me value you and the children a thousand times more. Family is such a wonderful, precious thing."

Albus nodded, "Min, I couldn't agree with you more. And, we've all been rather distant lately."

"Yes. We've all been busy, and distant, but that's no excuse, Albus."

"I know," he continued, "So let's take a holiday. No work involved. Just us and the children."

"I like that idea."

* * *

While their parents were walking in the backyard, Jacob and Alice sat in the library of their grandmother's house; they both were reading. Alice looked up from her book.

"How're things with _The Quill_?" she asked her brother.

"It's fine," Jacob replied.

"No more Musidora trouble?"

"She dropped out awhile ago," Jacob said shortly, "Which you would've known if you and Duke hadn't been spending every second of the day together."

"I'm just trying to make conversation, Jacob," Alice replied exasperatedly.

"Have you seen Katherine anywhere?" Jacob asked a few minutes later.

"How would I know where she is?" Alice shot back, "The only person I care about is Duke, remember?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Alice!" Jacob threw his book down in anger.

"That's essentially what you've been going on about for the past three weeks!"

"I won't lie: you do spend an excessive amount of time with him! And it seems like he's all you care about."

"Jacob Dumbledore, you are nothing but an immature, self centered -"

"Children!" their grandmother Aileana interrupted.

"Sorry, Grandma," Jacob said. Alice glared at him.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Nothing," Alice said sullenly.

"My ears tell me otherwise," Aileana said, but didn't press the issue, "Where's your sister at?"

"Here I am," Katherine said, joining them in the library.

"Katherine!" Aileana exclaimed upon seeing her youngest grandchild, "You're as pale as a sheet."

"You are," Jacob agreed.

Alice looked at her sister worriedly.

"I do feel kind of sick," Katherine said, "My stomach hurts."

"You should go lie down for awhile," her grandmother suggested, and Katherine complied.

* * *

Later, Alice returned to the library. She looked through her grandparents books, trying to find something to do. She came across one about ancient curses and began to read.

"What's that you're reading?" her grandmother asked as she joined Alice in the library.

"A book about ancient curses," Alice replied.

Aileana glanced at the book, "Bazagra, hmm. Hopefully no one will ever curse us with that."

"It sounds positively awful," Alice agreed.

"The accursed will be forever miserable and ill," Aileana read what the book said and stood up, "Well, I'm going to go check on your sister."

* * *

Jacob glanced at his younger sister. She was lying on the bed in the room that she was staying in and he was sitting next to her.

"Do you feel any better?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Jacob?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you and Alice hate each other?"

Jacob sighed, "We don't. We're just arguing about some things."

Katherine had tears in her eyes.

"Well, I wish you would stop," she snapped.

"We will, eventually. Don't worr-"

"Go away," Katherine ordered, "Go away and leave me alone."

"Kath-"

"I said go away!"

Jacob exited the room and frowned. That had been quite unlike his typically kind and sweet sister. He worried about Katherine. He stepped out into the hallway and saw his grandmother.

"Jacob," she said, "How is she?"

"Not herself," Jacob replied, "Miserable and ill."

"Miserable and ill," Aileana repeated Jacob's words, trying to remember where she had heard them before. Then she remembered. Her face went white.

"Grandma? What is it?"

She turned around and practically flew to the library, with a concerned Jacob at her heals.

"Alice," she said upon entering the book-filled room, "Where is that book on curses that you had earlier?"

"Here it is," Alice handed it to her, "What's wrong?"

Aileana opened the book. The curses were listed alphabetically; she flipped to the B's.

"Here it is," she read, "Bazagra will make the accursed forever sick and miserable. Shortly after the curse is preformed, the accursed will have horrible stomach pains and will often be in ill-humor."

"That's Katherine," Jacob confirmed, "But who would curse her? She's done nothing to anyone."

"We should focus on counter curses rather than reasons right now," Alice said.

"This book doesn't mention a cure, but I know there is one," Aileana said, "I read it in one of these books here in the library. Merlin, I wish I could remember what it is! You two start looking; I'll check on Katherine and then join you."

"Right," Jacob was already frantically looking through another book. Alice followed suit.

* * *

"There's nothing about Bazagra in anything I've read so far," Alice said in frustration a half an hour later. Her hair was pulled back out of her eyes, which were framed by her glasses as she continued to frantically read.

"All I have is that it's incredibly ancient," Jacob replied.

"We have to find something. Katherine's our sister."

"Don't give up," Jacob reassured her, "We will."

"Here's something!" Alice exclaimed seconds later, "There is a period of six days during which the Bazagra curse can be reversed…I wonder how long she's been cursed for?"

"I don't know. Keep reading."

"In order to rid the accursed of Bazagra's effects, give them a single strand of unicorn hair and - Darn it! The text is illegible; it's as if something was spilt on it."

"The core of her wand is unicorn hair," Jacob said, "If worse comes to worse, we could get it from there. What could the other thing be, though?"

"What's this you're saying about Bazagra?" Albus asked sharply as he and Minerva entered the room.

"Katherine's been cursed. Grandma figured it out; she's showing all the signs," Alice continued her frantic reading and searching form the other things that would dispell the curse.

"Merlin, no," Minerva said, paling.

"In order to perform the counter curse, we need a strand of unicorn of hair and a Bezoar. Jacob, take the portkey to Hogwarts and have Professor Slughorn give you both."

Jacob did so, and the process of dispelling the curse was in motion.

* * *

They all stood around Katherine's bed. There was a distinct ambiance of fear and tension in the room. Albus had given Katherine the mixture of unicorn hair and a Bezoar, but it had yet effect her. She was unconscious now.

Albus looked at his youngest child worriedly. What if he had been too late? What if the curse was permanent? What if it killed her? The thought of loosing Katherine was almost too much to bear. Whose smile would cause his face to light up when he was having a hard day? Who would be the sweetest one in the family?

Who would be his innocent rose?

She had to be okay. She had to be okay. He couldn't loose her. He had already lost Ariana; he couldn't loose her again.

"Dad?" Katherine asked uncertainly as she opened her eyes.

"Katherine!" Minerva exclaimed, her voice full of relief.

"You're alright," Albus said with a smile, "You're alright."

The fear in the room dissolved and was replaced with relief and love. Even somebody who did not know the Dumbledore family or Aileana at all would have been able to sense the happy scene in the room. Everyone was crowded around Katherine's bed with smiles on their faces. Even a stranger could sense the strong bond between these people.

And indeed, Bartholomew Bagshot did.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Author's Notes: **I can't believe that this is the last chapter, and that it was almost a year ago since I started_ Ties of Blood and Loyalty. _It's been an awesome journey. Stay tuned for the sequal that's in the works. I am nowhere near through with these characters. I'd better go before I start rambling on again. Peace out.

**Disclaimer: **Anything that you recognize from _Harry Potter _belongs to JK Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Bartholomew stood hidden in the shadows, watching the Dumbledore family through a window. The scene that he saw was a happy one: everyone stood smiling around Katherine's bed. They were a close-knit and happy group of people. Bartholomew continued to stare at them through the window. He had nearly destroyed their family, just as his had been torn apart all those years ago.

He thought about Aunt Bathilda and Gellert and their few months together as a family. He remembered all of the pain that he had felt when Gellert had been imprisoned and Aunt Bathilda had consequently lost her mind. Nobody deserved that pain. No one deserved that feeling of being utterly alone. For the first time, Bartholomew began to question his cousin's judgment.

He had nearly torn the Dumbledore family apart. The happy scene that he saw might not be taking place due to his actions. His imagination created an alternate scene - Katherine cursed, and the family crying around her bed. His actions could have caused this; he was no better than Albus Dumbledore. He had nearly caused the pain that Albus had caused him. Would he even be able to live with himself if the curse had not been stopped? He had nearly ruined a family and continued the cycle of terrible pain that doing so caused. The past, in its painful entirety, had nearly been repeated.

* * *

"Thank Merlin she's alright," Minerva said to Albus in reference to their youngest child.

"Indeed," he replied thankfully, "The thought of her not alright is a horrible one."

"I can't imagine who would do something so horrible to her."

"We may never know, love."

Minerva sighed and changed the subject, "We should probably be getting back to school."

"For awhile. We still have to take our holiday, you know," Albus had a twinkle in his eye.

"You know, in all of the commotion, I'd completely forgotten about that."

"Well, let's consult the children and pick a destination."

* * *

The Dumbledore family sat on the lawn in front of McGonagall Manner, discussing their upcoming vacation. Their fight forgotten with the events of the previous night, Alice and Jacob sat next to each other. Minerva sat next to Alice, and Albus was on the other side of Jacob with Katherine sitting in his lap. Bartholomew, unbeknownst to the family, hid behind a tree, watching them.

"Venice," Alice suggested, "The land of Othello and Iago."

Jacob laughed, "You've been reading far too much Shakespeare."

"Wherever we go, we ought to bring Uncle Aberforth with us," Katherine said.

"Excellent idea," Albus replied.

"Yes, but he can leave Amy behind," Minerva added.

Alice laughed.

Bartholomew, from his hiding place, leaned on one of the tree's branches. It broke and crashed to the ground with a loud thud, revealing himself to the Dumbledores.

"What are you doing here?" Minerva demanded. Bartholomew looked frightened and began to slowly back away.

"I've seen him around Hogsmeade before," Alice said softly to Jacob.

Albus stared at the man. He hadn't changed much over the years: same pasty face and short, chubby frame.

"Bartholomew Bagshot," Albus asked.

"Albus Dumbledore," Bartholomew's voice was shaking.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Albus said friendlily.

Bartholomew nodded. "I haven't seen you since you were a bit older than her," he said, pointing at Alice.

"What brings you here?" asked Albus.

Bartholomew paled and began to shake again, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, pull yourself together, Mr. Bagshot!" Minerva exclaimed, sounding as if she was speaking to a student, "Trespassing is not a major offence, and we will not be pressing charges."

"Don't be sad," Katherine said.

"No. No, I've done something horrible," Bartholomew confessed, "I- I cursed the blonde one."

As soon as the words had left Bartholomew's mouth, Jacob grabbed his wand out of pocket and lunged at Bartholomew.

"Jacob!" Albus stopped his son before he could do anything.

"He cursed Katherine!"

"Fighting will solve nothing," Albus told Jacob.

"Why?" Minerva asked, "Why would you do this?"

Bartholomew squeezed his eyes shut, as if to shield himself from the pain of the people in front of him, "It was Gellert's last wish."

"Gellert Grindewald?" Minerva asked.

"Yes. And Gellert was my best friend. You knew that," Bartholomew pointed at Albus,

"But you stole him from me and got him landed in prison! After you defeated Gellert, he was lying there, broken, and he told me his last wish. I was supposed to curse your firstborn child."

"That's me," Alice said, "Why did you hurt Katherine?"

Bartholomew closed his eyes again, "I don't know. I must've messed up somehow. But it took me fourteen years to finish the curse. I finally did it, and I came here to see the results. And then I saw you all, after you preformed the counter curse, Albus. You all looked so happy, and then I realized what I had done."

"Bartholomew, you had no right to hurt any of my children-" Albus began, but was interrupted.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. I almost tore your family apart, just like mine was all those years ago. That should happen to no one. No one deserves that. Seeing you all made me realize that. What I did was terrible."

"As I was saying, Bartholomew," Albus said softly, "You did something quite awful, but I am sorry about everything that I caused to happen all those years ago, your family in particular."

"You do seem genuinely sorry," Minerva said, "But that does not erase your actions. You belong in Azkaban!"

Bartholomew hiccupped, "I won't fight it if you send me there."

"Children, go inside," Albus said; Alice, Jacob and Katherine did as they were told.

* * *

The three siblings walked into the house. They sat in the living room.

Alice said, "I'm so sorry, Katherine."

"Alice, you didn't do anything," Katherine said, surprised.

"That curse was meant for me," Alice replied sadly.

"It wasn't your fault," Jacob reassured his older sister, "It was Bartholomew's doing. I'm not even sure it was his fault; he seems quite messed up."

Alice let out a breath, "It's not only that. I've been horrible to both of you recently. I've been acing as if you two don't exist, which I'm sorry for."

"I've been too hard on you," Jacob said, "It's okay, Alice."

"No," she replied, "It isn't, but thank you, Jacob."

* * *

"Albus, he cursed our daughter! There is no better place for him than Azkaban!" Minerva said angrily

Albus glanced at Bartholomew, who stood by the tree with a nervous look on his face, "Bartholomew Bagshot is not a criminal. He made some bad decisions, but he is not a bad person."

"You trust too easily."

"Minerva, put yourself in his shoes. He lost his family, which was partially my doing. I remember from my younger days that Bartholomew idolized Gellert. Gellert told him to do what he did. I believe that Bartholomew was too lost in his pain to realize the consequences of his actions until he saw them."

Minerva softened, "Well, then ministry probation seems like a fitting option."

* * *

Jacob knocked on his sister's door. They were still at McGonagall Manner and would return to Hogwarts tomorrow. Alice opened the door, and Jacob entered the room. The first thing he noticed was that her eyes were as red as her hair.

"You've been crying," he said.

She wiped her eye with the sleeve of her shirt, "Yeah."

"I wanted to say I'm glad we're not fighting anymore."

"Me too," Alice replied, "I hated that."

"So did I," Jacob said, "It's been a crazy twenty-four hours, hasn't it?"

"You can say that again." Alice paused and then sighed, "I'm going to break up with Duke."

"You don't have to do that because of today," Jacob told his sister.

"Yes, I do," she said.

"You were spending most of your time with him, but if you made a conscious effort not to do that, it would be okay. I really believe that, Alice."

"Today has helped me see some things, Jacob. Family really is the most important thing, and nothing should come between family. My relationship with him was doing just that," Alice said sadly.

"You say some wise things, Alice," their father said, entering the room, "But what Jacob says is just as smart."

"You don't understand -" Alice began, but was interrupted.

"I do understand," Albus told his oldest child, "There's a person that you love to be around and could spend hour after hour talking to them. You start to ignore everyone else, particularly your brother and sister, because you like this person so much and would rather be with him. But then something happened to help you put things in perspective, and you realize what a fool you've been. Only in my case, I came to the realization when it was too late."

Alice and Jacob looked at their father. "Aunt Ariana's death?" Alice asked of their father's realization.

"Yes," Albus said, "Ari's death was my wake up call to the fact that I had been spending all too much time with Gellert and neglecting her and your Uncle Aberforth."

"I never realized how similar our situations were until now," Alice said.

"They are, though there are a few differences," Albus told her, "For one, you're much smarter than I was at your age. You realized that things were wrong before it was too late."

"It was mere luck that it wasn't too late for me," Alice said, "I'm not smarter than you were at my age."

"Alice -"

"What if I had realized all of this when it was too late? What if Katherine had been cursed permanently? What if I never realized this at all and shut you all out for Merlin knows how long?"

"Alice, you are indeed smarter than I was at your age."

"How?"

"You're asking the questions I never thought to ask. A very wise woman, who happens to be your mother, once told me that what we've done in the past is forever behind us. We can't change it, which is why we should try to be the best that we can be in the present."

"Mum said that?"

"She did," Albus told his daughter, "I hope you find those words as helpful as I did."

Alice looked thoughtful, "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

They took the portkey back to Hogwarts the next day. Alice headed to the Gryffindoor common room in order to try to find Duke. She was successful, as he was sitting in in armchair with a book. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hello," he said, "You're back; that's excellent. How are you?"

"I've been better," she answered truthfully, "Can we talk?"

"Here or elsewhere?"

"Not here," Alice said, as they were not alone in the common room. They exited through the portrait hole and walked through the halls of Hogwarts until they were standing in front of Professor Slughorn's classroom. Alice pondered the fact that their relationship had begun and would end in this spot.

"I don't know how to say this," she said, "I mean, I've never been nearly as good with words as you are."

"Just say it," Duke told her, "You usually say exactly what's on your mind, and I like that about you."

"Okay," Alice swallowed, "Well, I'm breaking up with you. We can't be together anymore, Duke."

He looked surprised, "Why? What changed?"

"It's nothing you did wrong," Alice went on, "It's a realization I've come to."

"As, the ever typical, 'it's not you, it's me,'" Duke said quietly.

"It's true in this case," replied Alice, "I realized that we were spending every waking minute together and I was ignoring my family and Molly and Arthur. That isn't fair to them, and they all mean a lot to me. I'm so lucky to have the family that I have, and I was forgetting that."

"Oh," Duke looked forlorn.

"Let me tell you a something that happened to my father while back ago. There was someone that he loved to spend all of his time with. Someone like you are to me. He began to completely ignore his brother Aberforth and his sister Ariana. Then, when it was too late, my aunt Ariana died. She was gone forever, before Dad could even realize that he bad been horrible to both her and Aberforth. I'm lucky, really, although it doesn't feel like it at this particular moment. I realized that I was ignoring Katherine and Jacob before any deaths occurred."

"Oh," Duke frowned, "I wish I could think of something more coherent to say…well, not the typical 'it's not you, it's me."

"No," Alice bit her lip, "I hate that I have to do this, but I do have to. Goodbye, Duke."

She gave him one last kiss on the cheek and walked away from Slughorn's classroom.

* * *

She found Molly sitting outside, frowning over Potions homework.

"Unicorn hair," Alice told Molly.

"What?" Molly exclaimed, startled, "Oh. I didn't see you there."

"Unicorn hair is the ingredient that you need," Alice said again, in reference to Molly's homework.

"Thanks," Molly said as she finished her work.

"Do you have a moment?" Alice asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"I do," Molly replied, "I didn't get the chance to tell you this earlier, but I heard about your grandfather and I'm sorry, Alice."

She smiled lightly, "Thanks, Molly; that means a lot, really. I have an apology to make, too: I'm sorry about the past few weeks."

"It's alright, Alice," Molly forgave her best friend.

"I broke up with him."

"You know, as much as I dislike him, if he truly made you happy, I'd be willing to put up with him. So would Arthur."

"He does make me happy, but Molly, we can't be together," Alice sighed, "A lot of things happened when I was at my grandparent's - my grandmother's - house. A man short enough to be a house elf cursed Katherine."

"Merlin! Is she alright?"

"She's fine, but it made me think about how much I appreciate you, and Arthur, and Jacob and the rest of my family. I was spending every single second with Duke and being terrible to you all. I'm truly sorry for that."

"Don't worry about it, Alice. You're my best friend and always will be."

"And you're the same to me."

"Tell me more about what happened with Katherine."

"Well, there was a man named Bartholomew…"

* * *

Albus was sitting in his office when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said. His brother entered the room.

"Hello, Albus," he said in his gruff voice.

"Good afternoon," Albus replied.

"How's Minerva?"

"She's," Albus paused, "feeling better."

"And Katherine's alright?" Aberforth asked, "Don't look so surprised, Albus. You'd be surprised at what my customers know."

"She's fine," Albus replied, "I didn't mean to keep that from you, Aberforth; I just didn't have the chance to tell you yet."

"Yeh, I know."

"Actually, it's Alice that I'm worried about."

It was Aberforth's turn to look surprised. "Alice?"

"Yes. Bartholomew had originally meant to curse her, and she's afraid that she's been ignoring Jacob and Katherine as I did you and," Albus paused, "Ariana."

"She's afraid the past will repeat itself?"

Albus nodded.

"So far it hasn't," Aberforth stated matter-of-factly, "Alice is a smart girl. Katherine is alright. She wasn't."

Both brothers knew who "she" was. She was the girl who had made herself a necklace out of daisy at the lake. She was the girl who had loved to dance. She was the girl whose life had ended when she was so young and quite tragically. She was their younger sister. She was Ariana.

"Aberforth -" Albus began guiltily.

"Stop blaming yourself, Albus. It's alright," Aberforth suddenly smiled, "You saved Katherine. Her spirit lives on in her."

* * *

"You had quite the week, it seems," Gideon said to Jacob as they sat together outside. It was cold, and Jacob shivered.

"I did," Jacob replied, "but things are slowly coming back to normal."

"You're alright, then?"

"For the most part," Jacob paused, "When he said he cursed Katherine, I wanted to kill him. I've never felt that way before, Gid, and I hope I never do again."

"It's kind of understandable that you did. You love Katherine."

"Yes, but I wished I hadn't judged Bartholomew so quickly. He wasn't some cold blooded killer; he was just lonely."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. There's nothing you can do about the past, but do something now. Maybe you could reach out to him."

"That's not a bad idea," Jacob said, and smiled, "I'm glad my family's back to normal."

"That's good."

"Yeah. I mean, things aren't perfect, but we have each other. That's what counts."

* * *

Jacob sat on the backyard swing set. Like the rest of his family, he would be for a two-week stay in Ireland later that day. Unlike the rest of his family, he had packed the night before. He sat in a contemplative state as his parents and sisters filled their suitcases. The look of the backyard had changed over the years, with new plants, his mother's numerous attempts at vegetable gardens, and a lack of the shrubbery that Amy had eaten. The swing set, however, had stayed the same. It was a constant, in the very same stop it had been when his father had brought it home for Alice. A constant indeed. It was still there after all of those years.

"I hate packing," Alice proclaimed as she sat on the sing next to him.

Jacob laughed, "I know you do."

"Thank Merlin I've finished with it. How long have you been out here for?"

"About an hour or so."

"I remember the day Dad brought this thing home," Alice smiled as she ran her hand over

one of the metal bars.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's my earliest memory. I was with Mum in Diagon Alley. She pregnant with you and was looking at Transfiguration textbooks for her classes. Then she took me to go look at the owls, and when we got back Dad had it in the backyard."

"And Mum flipped when she saw it."

"Yep. She hated 'that ridiculous muggle contraption,' but I fell in love with it, so it got to stay."

Katherine entered the yard, "Mum wants to know if you two are all packed."

"We are," Jacob replied, "How about you?"

"Just finished," Katherine replied as she sat down on the third swing.

"And," Alice finished her story, "the swing set has been here ever since."

"It will probably be here forever," Katherine said.

"Our children will swing on it," Jacob added.

"And then years into the future, their children will," Alice said, "Some things can endure anything."

"Jacob, Alice, Katherine!" their mother called, "Uncle Aberforth is here."

Into the house, and then into Ireland, the three siblings went. Their shared future looked incredibly bright.

* * *

Whether you've been reading this without reviewing or reviewing all along, please do so now! Seriously, review or I just might have to hold Amy the goat hostage. Only kidding. But still give me those reviews. Thank you. I hoped you liked the story. Love, Emily


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